I'll Be the Light
by MissSingItAll
Summary: Bella suffers from agoraphobia. She decides to move in with her father in Forks and suffer in silence. Can Edward and his family give her the courage to face her fears and overcome her condition? AH, Rating may change.
1. Shatter

**Full Summary: Bella suffers from agoraphobia (fear of open, public spaces). It has ruled her life for the past couple of years. She decides to move in with her father in Forks and suffer in silence. Can Edward and his family give her the courage to face her fears and overcome her condition?**

**Hey everyone! I'm back with one of two stories that I have planned to submit. I have both stories written out to a point, but if there seems to be no interest or anything I won't continue them. I'm also not entirely sure on the rating of this story; I might decide to do lemons if I feel like it, but I'm still not positive. It all depends on how the story goes.**

**The idea for this story came to me one day when I was sitting in my psychology class. We were studying different kinds of mental disorders, and suddenly this whole idea came to me. I frantically looked for a paper and pen and scribbled down a short synopsis so I wouldn't forget it, and this is what came about. I'm not going to set an update schedule because I still don't know how this story will be recieved and how much time I will have to dedicate to writing. So here is the first chapter of I'll Be the Light, my first ever All Human story.**

**Enjoy!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

* * *

**EPOV:**

"Emmett, I swear to God that if you don't hurry up, I'll text Rose that picture of you and that red-head from Jessica's party!" I yelled up the stairs, slipping into my sneakers. My brother finally emerged, giving me a pleading look.

"Dude! I'm ready, okay? Don't let Rose know!" he said, coming down the stairs, two baseball bats resting on his shoulder. I grabbed my mitt from the counter and made sure my keys were in my pocket.

It was Sunday, and my brother and I were meeting my best friend Jasper Hale for a game of baseball down the street. It was one of the only things we could really do in this pathetic town, and it also helped me get ready for the upcoming season. I was on Forks High School's varsity baseball team, one of the best players actually. Jasper played too, and my brother and sister came to our games so they could hang out with Jasper's sister, Rosalie. In Emmett's case, though, it was more making out than hanging out. They had been dating for two months now, which made things slightly awkward for Jasper and I. We mostly took it in stride, leaving the two lovebirds to their...endeavors.

Emmett knocked into me as he left through the front door. I rolled my eyes and shut the door behind us. We walked a few houses down the rain-soaked street until we finally met up with Jasper, who was casually tossing a worn baseball up and down. He smiled when he saw us and pulled a light blue cap over his mess of blond curls.

"I thought I said two o'clock?" he drawled.

"Yeah, well, you know Emmett. Always locked in his room with his Playboys," I said, and ducked when Emmett lunged to smack me.

"Whatever, let's just play. I've been feeling the need to hit something all day," Jasper said. I slipped on my mitt.

"Rough day at home?" I asked, picking a spot in the middle of the street for the pitching mound.

"Nah, just my sister. She wanted to come," he grabbed a bat from Emmett.

"Why didn't she?" asked Emmett, tossing the other bat somewhere on the side of the street.

"Because then she would have been all over _you, _and that wouldn't have been fair to Edward. He needs you if he wants any chance at beating me." Jasper smirked. I scoffed.

"Just play, hot shot," I said. We played for a while, me pitching and Jasper hitting ball after ball into the area we determined was out of bounds. Emmett switched in occasionally, but he really only wanted to pelt me with the baseball. One of his pitches I could tell would be particularly rough.

He pulled his meaty arm back, winding up as tightly as he could. I crouched, the bat tightly gripped in my hands. He waited, silently focused and still. Then, without warning, he sprang. The ball launched hard and fast at me; I actually had to move back to accommodate its speed. As the ball came to me, I swung the bat with all my strength, hearing the satisfying smack as the two objects made contact. I watched as the ball soared high above us, arching slightly.

I looked back at Emmett and Jasper, who were still watching the ball. I opened my mouth to say something, when suddenly there were identical expressions of panic on their faces. Just as I was about to ask what was wrong, I heard a loud _CRASH _that pierced the afternoon air around us. It sounded like glass shattering against a hardwood floor. I whipped back around, and dread, like a heavy weight, settled in the pit of my stomach. "Oh no," I whispered.

The ball had crashed through the window of a small white home on the corner of the street. But this home was no average home. It was the residence of Charlie Swan._ Police Chief_ Charlie Swan. I gulped, and turned to the other two boys, who were still staring at the broken window. Chief Swan would murder us...well, mostly me. He already was fairly acquainted with my parents due to Emmett's random shenanigans throughout town. Adding another Cullen to the list would be too easy.

"Damn it!" Emmett cried. He ran and picked up the stray bat. "We gotta get out of here."

"No! That'll just cause more trouble if we run from the scene," I said shakily. "We have to go get the ball at least. Even if we left everything there, he would know it was us. You could tell it was our ball."

Jasper shook his head. "It didn't have my name on it," he said.

"Yeah, but who else actually goes outside to play in this town?" I asked. Jasper looked at me for a minute, and then sighed.

"Fine," he said, "but if Swan asks, I'm blaming you."

"Ditto," Emmett agreed. I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks for the support guys. Come on."

We passed the few houses separating us from Chief Swan's place. I crossed the front yard alone (Emmett and Jasper tried to look innocent while waiting on the sidewalk), and skipped up the front porch steps. I stopped in front of the large oak door. Should I knock? What if he's not home? I didn't think I saw his police cruiser parked outside. Well, crap. Now I would have to wait until he got back to get the ball, and it would become this long drawn out mess.

Just as I was about to ring the doorbell anyway, the front door swung open slowly. I froze, my hand still hovering in the air. I braced myself for Chief Swan's steely glare, but when I looked at the figure in the doorway, it wasn't him.

A petite girl, no older than me, stood with the ball clutched in her tiny hand. Her dark brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she was wearing a worn t-shirt with baggy sweatpants. Her wide chocolate brown eyes stared back at me, full of panic and surprise. She looked very fragile, like the wind could knock her over if it blew hard enough. I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Um...that's ours. Sorry about the window. Is Chief Swan here?" I said uncertainly. The girl stared at me silently.

"Is he home?" I tried again, and, again, received no response. Her full lips were slightly parted, and she still had that shocked look on her face. I leaned toward her.

"Um, okay. I'll just take this-" I reached to grab the ball from her, and she finally reacted. Air flew into her mouth in a gasp, and she flicked her wrist lightly, tossing the ball at me before I could get any closer. She stepped back further into the house and grasped the edge of the door. I took a step back, startled, and barely caught the ball. The girl was shaking, and then, seemingly with all her strength, she shut the door. I heard the lock slide into place, and then all was silent.

"Dude," I heard Emmett say. "What happened?"

"I don't know," I said, still staring at where the girl had been moments before. "But I guess Chief Swan isn't the only one who lives here anymore."

"Come on, Edward. Let's go before he gets back," Jasper called. I turned from the front door, still very much confused. As we walked back home, all I could think about was the girl and how fear seemed to paralyze her delicate features.

* * *

**BPOV:**

I desperately tried to stop shaking and control my breathing after shutting the door. I shuffled into the living room and fell onto the couch, burying my face in the cushions.

_Just breathe, Bella. You're safe, _I thought.

Previously, I was sitting upstairs in my room, sorting through all of mine and Charlie's laundry. It was a normal Sunday activity for me. As I had picked up one of my pairs of jeans I heard the loud crash from downstairs. It startled me so bad, I let out a yelp and fell from my bed onto the floor.

My mind had immediately gone into panic mode. Did someone break in? Were they armed? Could I make it out of the house if I was quiet enough? But then, it wasn't like I could go _outside. _I just couldn't. So I was trapped with whatever might be inside the house. I was going to die. But at least I wouldn't be outside.

I lifted myself off of the floor slowly, trying to remain silent. I almost tip-toed my way to my bedroom door, cursing when it creaked loudly as I pushed it open. I went down the stairs one stair at a time, gripping the banister tightly. As I reached the bottom, I looked wearily around me.

Everything seemed normal. I quietly crossed the hall, listening for any kind of noise. The house remained still. I reached the kitchen and finally saw what had been the cause of the crash.

A tattered baseball sat in the middle of the floor, with shards of glass scattered about it. A cool breeze swept across my body, and I looked up at the window over the sink. There was now a gaping, jagged hole, and the curtains that framed the window swayed gently in the breeze. I leaned over the mess, careful not to step on any glass, and grabbed the ball from the ground. I looked at it curiously, studying how used it had become. I turned around and made my way towards the front door. I decided to leave ball on the porch so that the owner could get it easily. I knew I would have to tell my father about it, but honestly, it looked like it was a complete accident. Plus, it's not like I can go further than the front porch, anyway.

I opened the door, still looking at the ball in my hand. Just as I was about to step out onto the porch, I looked in front of me and froze. There was a boy, a gorgeous one at that, standing right at my doorway. His hand was in the air as if he was about to ring the doorbell. His emerald green eyes were probably just as surprised as mine were, and his bronze locks of hair stuck wildly about his head. His face was very sculpted, so much that it reminded of an old marble statue. Overall, he was beautiful. He cleared his throat.

"Um...that's ours. Sorry about the window. Is Chief Swan here?" he asked meekly. I couldn't move; I only stood there as the echoes of his velvet voice wrapped around me.

"Is he home?" he asked again. I was only slightly aware that my face was still stuck in this shocked expression.

"Um, okay. I'll just take this-" He leaned down towards me, and that was when my body decided to move. I gasped and reflexively threw the ball at him. He couldn't come close to me, I wouldn't allow it. Just as he moved back with the ball, I pushed at the door as quickly as I could. The door shut with finality, and I locked it as soon as it had closed.

So here I was, trying to calm down after that unusual encounter. I turned over to stare at the ceiling, placing a hand over my heart. It was days like this that really illuminated for me how messed up I really was. It was really pathetic that I couldn't even protect myself if I had to. If there had been an intruder, what would I have done? I would have been an easy target. What if the house burned down in a fire? You can bet that I would be inside, engulfed in flames. Anything to avoid going outside.

I wanted to stay safe in my home, where I had the control, I had the power. It was absolute torture flying up here to Forks after leaving my home in Phoenix. I had multiple panic attacks and I couldn't breathe. But for what it's worth, I wanted to do this. I wanted to give my mother and her new husband freedom. I didn't want them to be tied down by my stupid insecurities and behaviors. That's why I made the move two days ago, arriving here hyperventilating and trembling. My father knew of what I was capable of, but I don't think he really realized how serious it was until he saw me at the terminal, tears pouring down my face and a flight attendant holding me up. I was always a burden wherever I went, so I stayed at home as much as I could.

Tomorrow will be interesting. Charlie had registered me at Forks High School when he heard that I was coming to live with him, but I don't think that he realized that I wouldn't be able to actually attend school. Instead, we had set up a kind of correspondence program where one of the students in my grade would deliver my assignments everyday after school, and in the mornings before school that student would come to pick up my completed homework. It seemed like a hassle for the school, but I honestly couldn't help it. I needed an education, and, unfortunately, they were the only school within driving distance.

I sighed and forced myself to get up. I needed to clean up the broken glass and come up some kind of explanation before Charlie came home from work. After all, he would probably want to know who smashed a hole through his window.

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**A/N: Okay, please leave reviews to let me know how I'm doing!!**


	2. Change

**Alright, so here's the next chapter, guys. I have a few things to discuss before we get started, though.**

**1) There won't be any Jacob in this story, unless I decide to use his name for a character or something. Sorry Team Jacob people!  
2) As far as I have researched it, agoraphobia is not limited to a fear of open spaces. Rather, it's a fear of being in situations in which escape is impossible (i.e., there's nowhere to hide, such as a public or outdoor setting). This is why people who have agoraphobia are sometimes trapped within their homes; they want to have control over where they are.  
3) Bella's POV will probably end up being shorter than Edward's, due to the fact that Edward visits more places and interacts with more people.  
4) I don't claim to be a psychologist or anything, so if anyone has any tips or anything to make this story more accurate and complete, let me know!**

**Okay, enough of that. Enjoy the rest!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything.**

* * *

**BPOV:**

Monday morning. Even though I didn't actually leave the house to go to school, I still hated Mondays just as much as anybody else. I had woken up and stared out my window, where a semi-permanent gray had settled over everything. Just great.

I slipped out from under the covers and grabbed my bag of toiletries. I started my morning routine and could tell from the silence of the house that Charlie had left for work already. After brushing my teeth, I gave myself a glance over in the mirror.

My skin was very pale; it desperately needed to see the sunlight. My body was very thin and slender, but it wasn't like I had any pleasing curves or anything like that. My eyes were plain, brown, and average, reflecting back at me with an empty stare. My hair was all over the place, so I ran my brush through it a couple of times. After finally getting through the tangles, I left the bathroom and headed downstairs to see what edible food Charlie still had available.

Last night was...interesting. When I told Charlie about the window, he took one look at the hole, sighed, and shook his head. I didn't tell him about the boy coming to the door; I was too ashamed at my reaction. Instead I told him that I had tossed the ball outside without knowing who had done it. He nodded, gave me an awkward pat on the back and told me it wasn't my fault and I had done nothing wrong.

Today, the hole in the window was covered with tape to keep the air out. I looked in the refrigerator only to find a gallon of milk, a carton of eggs, and random takeout leftovers. Shaking my head, I grabbed the milk and looked for a box of cereal. I would have to ask Charlie to go grocery shopping later so that I could cook proper meals.

I moved to the living room and turned on the tv, finding some mindless cartoon to watch. While most kids my age saw never going to school as a godsend, I saw it as isolation and loneliness. For the past two years, I have not socialized with anyone close to my age. I was a little socially inept to begin with, but at least I was still able to talk to people before my agoraphobia made itself known. Now I was always alone, unable to relate to my peers and other people.

I ate my cereal slowly and stared at the tv, letting my mind drift as the colored images danced around on the screen.

* * *

**EPOV:**

After getting home on Sunday, none of us said a word to our parents. Jasper decided to stay for dinner (nothing new to my mother) and play video games with Emmett. It was then that my sister Alice decided to join everybody downstairs. I suspected the little pixie had a thing for Jasper; she was even louder and more excited than normal whenever he was around. Jasper too was a little more nervous anytime Alice entered the room. I was always teasing him about it, saying that someday we were bound to become brothers.

I sat in the next room at my piano, running my fingers lightly over the keys. I had always loved playing, and had taken on every piano lesson as eagerly as I did with baseball. I liked being in control of the music I made. The sound would change however I wanted it to change, and it would say whatever I wanted to within the notes and melodies. It was another form of escape for me.

"Dinner's ready!" My mother called from the kitchen. At that moment the front door opened and my father walked through, right on time. He nodded at me and made his way into the kitchen after hanging his jacket up on the coat rack by the door. I stood as well and followed the delicious scents coming from the kitchen.

Alice and Jasper were already at the table. Emmett and Dad were bringing other dishes to the table along with my mother. She grinned at all of us once we were seated.

"Well, Jasper, I see that you've decided to join us, yet again," Dad said jokingly, grabbing the bowl of salad. Jasper shrugged.

"You guys definitely have better food," he said. Everyone chuckled, and my mother gave him a thankful look. She turned to Dad and he began to tell her about his day at the hospital where he worked as a doctor. I looked to Emmett, who was busy trying to stuff as much food as he could in the fastest amount of time. Jasper and Alice were trying to have a discreet conversation at the end of the table.

"So there's this new bakery in Port Angeles, and I heard they have the best cupcakes! We should definitely head up there sometime," Alice suggested quietly. Jasper looked surprised.

"Yeah! Um...sure, okay," he replied, trying to be calm, cool, and collected. I snickered. He turned to me, flipped me off, and then continued the rest of dinner ignoring me and listening to Alice's every word.

My father and mother spoke to each other lovingly, with soft voices and gentle touches. They seemed to radiate at the head of the table and bathe us all with their glow, cheesily enough. It was nights like these that truly made me feel at peace. I had family and friends whom I loved and who loved me. My siblings and I were definitely privileged, although we never acted like those trashy teenagers on primetime tv (aside from the occasional drink at a random party). I knew that I was lucky, and I tried as hard as I could not to take it for granted.

* * *

School the next day was the same as usual. It was October, and that meant it was the opportune time for pranks and pounds of candy. The sky was a deep gray, and the rain that had poured during the night was still present in puddles that lined the street. I drove my siblings to school, as usual, in my silver Volvo. It was one of my prized possessions, just as the candy red BMW convertible was Rosalie Hale's little baby. She and her brother pulled into the parking space next to mine and met up with us on the front stairs. Rosalie wrapped her arm around Emmett's waist and pecked him on the lips.

Rosalie Hale was beautiful; there was no doubt about that. She had the same golden hair as her twin brother, and stunning blue eyes that lit up her entire face. I guess I wasn't attracted to her due to the facts that a) she was my best friend's sister and b) she is super cocky. Rosalie wasn't exactly the nicest person and really only hung out with Alice. The other girls tended to stay away from Rosalie, which seemed fine by her. She thought all the other girls here were trite and air-headed.

"Are we still meeting up after school?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, I just gotta do something first before we head home," Alice replied casually. The first bell rang, our signal to head inside.

The day was mostly uneventful, although people seemed to whisper more than usual. This was a clue that something big had happened. Forks was a small town, and news traveled fast. I couldn't catch what was going on, though, so I let people talk around me and pretty much ignored their conversations.

After school, I waited by my car for the others to show up. Jasper came first, followed by Rosalie and Emmett, and then Alice. Alice had a stack of books and papers in her arms. Jasper took a few from her to help with the load.

"Signed up for extra classes?" I asked. Alice shook her head.

"Can you take me to Chief Swan's place?" she asked, a little breathless.

Jasper, Emmett, and I all looked at each other. We seemed to be thinking the same thing: _HELL NO! _But, as we hadn't told anyone about the window thing, it seemed like maybe, just maybe we could get away with it. Plus, it's not like we would be getting out of the car or anything. Alice was the only one who would be seen.

"Yeah," I said, and turned around to get in the car. Alice and Jasper slipped in, but Emmett stayed by Rosalie.

"I'll see you guys at Rosalie's," he said nervously. I rolled my eyes. What a baby.

We pulled out of the parking lot and headed for our neighborhood. I looked at Alice out of the corner of my eye.

"What do you need to do at Swan's place?" I questioned.

"I'm dropping off homework," she said, patting the books nestled on her lap.

"What?" Jasper asked. He leaned forward into the space between the passenger and driver seats.

"Chief Swan has a daughter. She moved here a few days ago," Alice said, as if she was a parent explaining something to toddlers. So that was the reason for all the gossiping today. It also explains the girl that answered the door yesterday. "Anyway," she continued, "apparently she has some kind of medical problem that prevents her from going to school. So, Mrs. Cope asked me if I could bring her assignments everyday."

Jasper and I gave her a weird look. "What?" she said. "It'll look good on my college application, and I really don't mind doing it."

"So I'm going to be taking you to her house every afternoon," I said.

"And every morning! I have to pick up her finished homework to turn it in."

"Just great," I grumbled. Jasper just shook his head and leaned back in his seat.

I pulled the car into a stop in front of the Swan house. The window still had the hole in it, but now it covered up with tape. I grimaced at the memory.

"I'll be right back," Alice said, grabbing the rest of the books from Jasper. She walked up to the door, swaying slightly under the weight of the textbooks. She shot one hand out to ring the doorbell. A few moments later, the door opened, but I couldn't see who had opened it. Alice stepped inside and was gone for a few minutes. The door still remained open, but all I could see was darkness inside. Alice reemerged then, and shut the door behind her. She skipped down the steps and hopped back into Volvo.

"How'd it go?" Jasper asked as I pulled back onto the road.

"Fine. She's a nice girl," Alice said pleasantly. I knew that both Jasper and I were extremely curious about the newest addition to Forks' population.

"Did she look weird or anything?" Jasper asked bluntly.

"No!" Alice exclaimed, almost offended. "She's perfectly normal, Jasper. How could you say that?"

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. He didn't want to get on her bad side.

"Let's head over to your house, dude," I said, trying to change the awkward atmosphere. Jasper nodded at me thankfully. We made our way down the wet street in silence.

"What's her name?" I asked after a moment, truly curious.

"Isabella," Alice said curtly, still a little mad.

I _hmmm_ed and kept my eyes forward. Now I had a name to pair with that scared-looking face.

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**A/N: I promise to try to write longer chapters, ha. Don't worry, more is definitely coming up!**


	3. Gentle

**Alright, Happy New Year everybody! Thanks for those who have reviewed so far, it really does help. If you guys have any questions about this story, feel free to ask in a review or a PM! I know that it may all make sense in my head, but it might be a different case for other people. Enjoy!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: Really, I don't own anything. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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**BPOV:**

I heard the sound of Alice's ride drive away down the street. She seemed like a nice enough girl, although her cheeriness was slightly off-putting for me. She had walked right into the living room and set down the stack of textbooks she was carrying. I still kept my distance from her, squishing myself against the wall when she walked in. She looked at me with a genuine smile on her childlike face. "I'm Alice Cullen!" she had said, her voice like bells.

She was at least a head shorter than me with raven-black spiky hair framing her face and eyes. She was pretty, prettier than the few girls I had seen here in town. As she stood up straight, I noticed her posture seemed almost perfect. She moved with dancer-like grace as she made her way towards the door. She had given me a smile, let me know what time she was coming tomorrow, and then danced her way out, shutting the door behind her.

I studied the stack of books with a mixture of dread and acceptance. I needed to keep up with school work, even though it was going to be ten times harder without an actual classroom environment motivating me. I grabbed the first book to start my first assignment.

The rest of the week passed by in the same way. I would wake up, get ready, give my finished homework to Alice when she stopped by before school, do chores, read, get my homework from Alice when she came again in the afternoon, do the homework, make dinner for Charlie, and then head to bed. It was all done in near silence; the only people I actually spoke to were Charlie and Alice.

Alice was especially kind and cheerful whenever I saw her, and from what I could tell, she was very much into fashion. Every day that she came over, she was dressed in clothes that looked like they belonged on the runway and not in dreary, rainy Forks. She always had a smile on her face, and whenever I thanked her for all that she was doing, she just shrugged and said that she never minded. She told me about her family and how she had a brother the same age and another brother who was a senior. She talked about how her mother was a part-time interior designer and how her father was the town doctor. Of course, I never actually said much to Alice, but she still talked to me all the same.

On Friday, Alice came around her normal time in the afternoon with my next assignments, but instead of dropping them off and leaving with a beaming smile, she lingered in the hallway.

"Hey Bella, could I ask you something?" she said. I didn't tell her to start calling me Bella until the third day, when I was somewhat used to the whole routine.

"Sure," I replied in a small voice.

"Do you wanna hang out or something? Like, tonight? I could convince my brother to drive us to Port Angeles and we could see a movie, or maybe just walk around the stores?" She looked so hopeful I almost said yes on the spot. But it could never happen.

"I'm sorry Alice, but no," I said quietly. Her face fell, and then a look of recognition swept across her face.

"Oh, right," she said, her eyes roaming over me. "I'm sorry, that was dumb of me."

"Oh no, please don't think that. I would really like to if I could, actually." Had I been able to, I truly would have gone with her. I was desperate for a friend.

"Really? Well, then, maybe we could work something out," Alice replied. The brightness was back in her voice, and her eyes lit up once more. She was about to speak again when the sound of a car horn echoed outside. Alice rolled her eyes.

"My brother..." she mumbled, shaking her head. "Here, let me give you my number, and you can give me yours." She went into the kitchen and returned with a pen and the pad of paper we used to write phone messages. She scribbled down her number quickly and ripped the paper off, then passed it and the pen to me. I slowly wrote down the house number and slid the pad back to her. She took the paper, folded it, and placed into the pocket of her designer jeans.

"Well, I'll see ya later, Bella!" she said.

"Bye," I said softly, and she headed out the door, shutting it behind her like always. My whole body relaxed at that moment; I didn't even know that I was tensed up. I made my way to the couch and plopped myself down.

If this worked out, Alice could actually be my friend. That thought gave me the smallest pang of hope. But friends usually went out. Friends went to dinners and parties and movies. Friends didn't cower in their homes because there were no places to hide out in public. That tiny fragment of hope shattered.

Alice wouldn't want to be friends with me. She wouldn't want the challenges and hassles that came with dealing with me. She should just go on the way she was, happy and bright and full of promise.

I got up and carried my homework to my room. I decided not to start on it right away, since I had the whole weekend to finish. Instead, I spread myself out on my bed and listened to my only constant companion: the silence.

* * *

**EPOV:**

The car rocked gently as Alice closed her door and buckled her seatbelt. I pulled off of the curb and took us out onto the road, where we headed towards the start of a weekend with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Not yet, anyway.

Alice had given me very little information about the Chief's daughter, other than she liked to be called Bella. I suspected that it was because Alice didn't know much about the girl herself, but, knowing Alice, she probably wouldn't have told me much anyway. Every time I thought of her, I only remembered the frightened look that had captured her eyes.

"Bella should hang out with us sometime," Alice said, resting back into the seat.

"Really?" I didn't imagine Bella as the type that would be up for "hanging out."

"Yeah. I'm sure she doesn't really know anyone here, so it'd probably be nice for her to have a few friends." Alice often floored me with her kindness for other people, and this was no exception. It was why people liked being around Alice; her charisma and friendliness disarmed practically anyone. Bella sounded like she needed someone, moving into a town where she knew no one and couldn't interact with anybody. Alice seemed like she would gladly be that someone.

We fell into a companionable silence as I continued to drive. A few minutes passed, and Alice spoke again.

"Is Jasper coming over tonight?" Alice asked, trying to be casual. I smirked.

"I don't know. I'll have to see what he's doing," I replied, keeping my eyes forward. "Although I know you'd like it to be _you._"

"Oh whatever, Edward." Alice sounded flustered and embarrassed. I laughed.

We got home and I saw that the Hales were already over; Rosalie's car was parked in the driveway. I entered the living room and saw something that was becoming a common occurrence. Emmett and Rosalie were on the couch, groping each other as usual. I grabbed an orange that was sitting in the bowl of fruit that was artfully placed on the table against the wall. I chucked it as hard as I could at Emmett's head, hitting him square on the crown.

"Bastard!" Emmett shouted after unhinging himself from Rosalie. He rubbed the spot where I had hit him.

"Get a room," I said, climbing up the stairs. I made my way to room and opened the door, not surprised to see Jasper laying on my bed.

"So what are we doing tonight?" he asked, staring up at the ceiling. I dropped onto the black leather couch that rested against the far wall of my room.

"Does anyone have anything going on?" I wondered.

"I don't know. And I'm too lazy to ask," Jasper said, stretching out.

"Hey guys!" Alice's chipper voice echoed into the room. Jasper shot up.

"Hi Alice," he said, the tone of his voice completely changing. I shook my head.

"I heard that Lauren Mallory is throwing a party tonight, wanna stop by?" she asked, leaning against my doorway. Jasper jumped off of my bed and straightened up.

"Yeah, we should, right Edward?" he said, looking at me pleadingly.

"I guess," I replied. "But I really don't feel like dealing with any of Lauren's bullshit tonight."

Lauren Mallory had been after me for the longest time. She never seemed to get the message that I didn't like her _at all, _and she came up with trick after trick to try and get me in her pants. I shuddered, recalling her last attempt, which involved me being locked in the janitor's closet with her for two and a half class periods. She was a bleach-blond, ditzy, cocky mean girl, and I tried the best I could to fend her off.

"Yes, I know, Edward. That's why I said that we're just stopping by. It's not like me and her are exactly BFFs either," Alice said. Lauren actually hated Alice very much; she was jealous that Alice and the rest of my family could afford designer brands while she tried to pass off with knock-offs.

"Okay, fine. We'll go, but only for a little bit," I said, standing up.

"Great! I'm gonna go tell Rose and Emmett. I'll leave you to get prepared for Lauren's attention," Alice laughed, then stepped back into the hallway. Jasper let out a breath I didn't even know he was holding. I stared at him, amused.

"What?" he said defensively.

I smiled. "Nothing."

Well, the party was just as I expected. Basically, the Mallory house was crawling with teenagers, half of them drunk. Most people were in the living room, dancing to the large sound system set up in the center. Our group made our way to the kitchen, where every counter was covered with some kind of alcoholic substance. I wanted to take it easy, so I just grabbed a beer from the nearest counter. Emmett and Rosalie disappeared off together, and Alice stayed in the kitchen with me and Jasper, looking around at all the drinks.

"It's not so bad, huh?" Alice said, picking up a cup and filling it with the contents of the bottle closest to her.

I was just about to respond when a high-pitched squeal reached my ears.

"EDWARD!!!"

I closed my eyes and sighed. "It just got worse," I mumbled. I slowly turned around and opened my eyes to the horrid sight of Lauren Mallory.

"Hey there," she said, trying to sound seductive. "My parents are out of town and I hoped you would come."

"Um, yeah. Just stopping by," I said, trying to look uninterested. Actually, I didn't have to try very hard.

"Come and dance with me," she purred, fluttering her fake eyelashes at me. She stuck out a manicured hand.

"Ugh, no," I said, flat out. Normally, I was kind to any woman I encountered; it was what I was raised to do. I tried to always be polite and courteous. But with Lauren, I could make an exception. And apparently, she wasn't listening to me.

"Edward..." she trailed off, trying to pout attractively and failing.

"The man said no, Lauren," Alice called from the other side of the room, Jasper hovering near her.

"Bite me," Lauren spat, and she swayed a little. The cup she was holding was half full, and a little bit of the liquid sloshed out onto the floor.

"Oops!" she cried, and then giggled insanely. "Come hold me steady, Edward."

"No thanks," I said, already fed up with the whole deal. I turned to Alice and Jasper. "Can we go now?"

"We just got here," Alice whined. Jasper looked torn.

"Dude, I totally get where you're coming from. But we did just get here like five minutes ago..." _Traitor._

"Fine, get me when you're ready," I said. I pushed past Lauren, who smelled like a brewery, and slid through the crowd of people to get to the front door. I sat on the front porch steps and stared out at the empty street, finishing the rest of my beer. We had all decided to walk down here since Lauren's house was only a block away from home. Now I wished that I had my car; I really just wanted to get away from the neighborhood for a while.

It was another thirty minutes before Alice and Jasper came back out. Both looked a little buzzed, but nothing too major.

"Where's Emmett and Rosalie?" I asked.

"They were somewhere upstairs," Alice said, still holding a drink. "I didn't want to bother them."

"Oh." I understood. No one wanted to see Emmett and Rosalie when they got in their "couple mode." Emmett can just go home on his own, I didn't really care.

We started walking down the street, going the long way home so that Alice and Jasper could actually breathe in fresh air for a few minutes. The moon was only slightly visible, covered by dark clouds that held tomorrow's rainfall. Alice skipped ahead of us, letting the air cool her senses. She breathed in deep and exhaled with a sigh, then downed the rest of her drink and tossed the cup into the street. We turned a corner and that's when she let out a squeal.

"Bella!" Alice screeched. She started waving frantically. Jasper and I looked in the direction she was waving in, perplexed.

We had ended up on the same corner we were standing on last weekend, staring at the same shattered window in the same house. _How did I not even pay attention to where we were going?_

The Swan house was dark, save a dim light coming from one of the front rooms and the front porch light. Bella Swan was standing on the porch, eyes wide with surprise.

"Alice?" she said, her voice as gentle as a whisper. She looked scared and very breakable.

"Hey!" Alice greeted, going up the stairs to stand with Bella. Jasper and I stayed back out by the curb of the sidewalk.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked, shrinking back a little towards the door.

"Having a little fun. We went to this party and...Oh! You don't know my brother!" Alice said, turning out towards us. She pointed at me. "That's my brother, Edward, and that's his best friend Jasper." She pointed to Jasper. Bella turned then to fully stare at us, and she shuffled her feet closer to the edge of the porch. A look of recognition crossed her face as she looked at me. I gave a slight wave and a small smile. _Yeah, I was the guy with the ball._

"Oh, come closer, you guys! We can't see you if you're standing in the dark!" Alice ordered. I started to walk up to the stairs slowly, with Jasper trailing behind me. I stopped on the first stair, however, when I saw that Bella had stepped back to the door.

"Um, well, I should really be getting inside," Bella said uncomfortably. She was dressed in a dark green hoodie and dark jeans, and little pink slippers covered her small feet. She spoke with such a small, meek voice. Something inside of me seemed to ache, a concerned pulse for her.

"But Bella, earlier we said that we should hang out! Why not now? I'm here, you're here, it's fine!" Alice practically shrieked. She was getting a little too loud, maybe I was wrong about her being alright before.

"Umm....okay," Bella replied. Her back was touching the door now.

"Alice, if she doesn't want to, don't make her. You guys can hang out some other time," I said, trying to help Bella out. Both girls' eyes darted to me, Bella's gaze almost pleading.

"Oh fine, Edward. Such a party pooper tonight, sheesh," Alice grumbled. She turned to look at Bella, who was giving me a look of thanks. "We should definitely make plans, Bella. I still want us to hang out!"

"Sure, Alice," Bella said, her small arm reaching for the doorknob. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight!" Alice skipped back off of the porch, knocking into Jasper. She giggled as he caught her, and he stood there stupidly, unmoving. I shook my head and turned back to Bella.

She was still looking at me, but I couldn't place the look on her face. She was still tense, but there was also another layer to her deep brown eyes. It looked like longing, and she seemed to lean towards the fresh night air, though the majority of her body remained as close to the house as possible. She looked so delicate against the large, rough exterior of the front door. I felt a kind of protectiveness over her, and I had no clue why.

"Goodnight," I said softly, not wanting to scare her. The corners of her lips turned upward.

"Goodnight," she said, and with that she pushed the door open and disappeared inside the house.

I made my way back to the sidewalk, where Jasper had moved and was waiting with Alice, her arms wrapped around his waist. I raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged, a small grin on his face.

"Come on, Alice. Let's get you home," I said, starting in the direction towards our house. Her and Jasper moved together. We made our way down the empty street, tracing the same path I had walked the weekend before.

* * *

**BPOV:**

I waited behind the door for them to leave. I could hear Alice's giggles echo as they got farther away. Sighing, I turned and headed back upstairs to my room.

I had been out on the porch on a whim; I was starting to get restless in my room, and walking around the living room didn't help at all. So, with a shaky breath, I had creaked open the front door and shuffled my way out onto the porch.

I knew I couldn't move any farther, but the fresh air was too irresistible. I closed my eyes and allowed the sounds of the settling night and the coolness of the air to relax me. It was a few minutes of quiet before I heard my name being called down the street. I was surprised to see Alice, energetic and cheery, bound up the stairs onto the porch. She looked a little different, her pupils dilated and eyes wide. She spoke and I could smell a hint of alcohol on her breath. When she introduced the other two boys waiting for her, I was met with the gaze of the boy from last weekend.

Apparently, this was Alice's brother that was in the same grade as us, a junior. Edward. He looked just as hauntingly beautiful as I had seen him in the daylight. The sparse light threw dark shadows upon his face, and when he stepped closer I could see the crisp clarity of his eyes. I had started moving back towards the house, though, uncomfortable with all the attention. When he spoke to Alice, his voice was stronger, velvet and deep. He saved me the trouble of trying to keep up a conversation, and that was really sweet. Bidding him goodnight was strange for me, as he had looked at me with a softness that I had never seen before. I wanted to stay out in the brisk air and enjoy his company, but the familiar anxiety started to kick in and I had to go inside. I still felt the traces of his stare long after he had turned around and left.

I reached my room and stretched out across my bed. I lay there, trying to figure out when I'd call my mother. After leaving her and Phil, I knew that she'd want to talk to me and know how I was...adjusting. But I didn't want to give her the bleak details about how isolated I was. I decided to email her tomorrow; it was easier to fake happy over written word than it was in talking.

I could feel my eyelids drooping with exhaustion. I curled up a little in my bed and pulled the covers around me. Today felt very taxing for some reason, as if I had actually gone to school on a Friday like a normal student. I scoffed a little at the thought that I could be normal. Shutting off the light, I nestled myself deeper within the covers and succumbed myself to sleep's call.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews would be great, please let me know what you guys think!**


	4. Accomplished

**Here we go, the next chapter! Thanks to everyone for adding this story to your story alerts/favorites lists. It's really important to me and it shows that there's people out there that enjoy this story enough to want to be alerted about updates. Thanks so much!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight.**

**BPOV:**

Saturday morning was spent scrubbing the kitchen squeaky clean. I had discovered that the last time Charlie had really cleaned was before the last Super Bowl; I had wordlessly pulled out the rubber gloves and the Pine-sol when he told me this. I disinfected the counters and the sink area, and then brought out the mop to get the floors. Charlie only gave me a sheepish look as he left the house for his usual fishing trip.

I was in the process of putting everything away when the phone started ringing. Pulling off the rubber gloves and tossing them in the space under the sink, I ran to the wall the phone rested on and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bella! It's Alice."

"Oh, hi Alice. What can I do for you?" I asked.

"Well first, I wanted to apologize for my total weirdness yesterday," she said. "I promise, I don't drink every weekend."

"It's fine," I replied, smiling and leaning against the wall.

"And I got to thinking about ways we could hang out. Here's my idea: we could have a movie night! I could bring over a couple DVDs and we could bust out the popcorn and candy! Would that work?" Alice asked excitedly.

I chewed the inside of my cheek as I thought this through. Alice would come, we would stay inside, and I would get to know her better. A moderately simple social situation, right? I could handle this.

"Yeah, I think it would," I stated slowly. Alice squealed in my ear.

"Great! Would tonight be okay?"

"Sure, Alice."

"Okay, I'll see you after dinnertime, alright? Oh, we'll have so much fun, Bella!"

After setting up a few more details, I hung up the phone and slumped back against the wall again. It's been two years since I have had to entertain company, and I wasn't sure how I was going to fare. I could feel my trepidation for the whole ordeal mix with my excitement for the chance to socialize.

Charlie called sometime after noon, letting me know that he would be spending dinner on the reservation. I made sure it was okay to have people over, and he seemed cheered by the prospect. After talking to him, I cleaned up the living room and hallway and made sure the DVD player was set up. Seeing that this was all finished, I finally made my way upstairs to get ready. I got to my room and sent a quick, seemingly happy email to Renee about my stay in Forks so far, saying things that I think she wanted to hear.

I decided to take a shower to help pass the remaining time. I massaged my strawberry shampoo through my long hair and rinsed, taking the time to make sure every trace of shampoo was gone. I soon emerged from the hot water, wrapping a fluffy towel around my body. I stepped in my room and changed quickly, throwing on a pair of jeans and a black tank top with a fleece blue sweater over it. I padded back into the bathroom and blow dried my hair, not really caring about my appearance and only looking for something to do. I ran my fingers through the strands a couple of times after it was dry, and, with a sigh, headed downstairs to wait for Alice.

The sun was starting to set outside; golden rays of light filtered in through the front windows. I sat down on the couch and tried to relax. I didn't know when exactly Alice would come, but it would be soon. I flipped on the tv so I could have background noise and tried to use it to distract me from my nerves.

Twenty minutes later the low chime of the doorbell resounded throughout the house. I jumped up from my seat and nearly ran to the door, tripping once on the way. I rested my shaking hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. Then, moving quickly before I could really freak out, I threw open the door.

Alice stood on the porch with a stack of DVDs piled in her tiny arms and a leather bag on her shoulder. She had a huge grin on her face, and she made a move to step inside the house, but then hesitated.

"Um, Bella? I know this is last minute and everything, but do you mind if my brother joins us?" she asked, unsure. "His plans for tonight fell through."

I hadn't even noticed the tall figure standing just behind Alice. Edward stood there awkwardly, meeting my gaze with an apologetic look.

"If you aren't comfortable with that, it's cool. Edward can just go home or something," Alice continued, looking back and forth between me and Edward.

"Um..." I wasn't sure how I was going to handle this. I had definitely planned on Alice and only Alice. But there was something about Edward that soothed me rather than stressed me out. I wanted to figure out why that was; I wanted to know more about him, too.

"He can join us," I said quietly. Alice's eyes lit up, but she still didn't make a move to come in.

"Are you sure?" she pressed. I nodded my head and stepped back to allow them inside. Alice smiled and walked in, making her way to the living room. Edward followed her lead, and when he brushed past me I could smell just a hint of his scent: vanilla, honey, and a rich musk that was all his own. I shut the door and exhaled in a gust of air.

Alice set down the DVDs on the coffee table and reached into the bag, pulling out its contents and setting each item on the table. She brought out box after box of candy and two whole boxes of microwavable popcorn. She took a box and put the bag on the ground.

"I'm going to get this popcorn started," Alice said, and she walked farther into the kitchen. This left me and Edward alone, both of us standing on opposite sides of the coffee table.

"Um, I'm going to help Alice," I mumbled, and turned quickly to head into the kitchen.

Alice was searching through the cupboards for a bowl. I helped her out and found a large bowl for the popcorn. She thanked me and put a bag into the microwave, watching it carefully as it heated up. I grabbed glasses for us and the liter of soda I had found in the refrigerator.

"Thanks for doing this, Bella. I know my brother coming was not what we planned. I really am sorry about that," Alice said, her eyes not leaving the rotating bag of popcorn.

"It's alright, Alice. Really." I decided that I meant it, too. I had to learn how to deal with people again, especially now that I had a fresh start in a new town.

Alice looked back at me and grinned so hard, it looked like her face was going to split in two. I just shook my head and grabbed the glasses and the soda and headed back into the living room.

Edward was sitting on the couch, looking around the entire space. I placed everything on the table and stepped back. I didn't meet his gaze; instead, I sat down on Charlie's recliner and brought my knees up to my chest.

"Thanks again, Bella," he said, and my eyes darted to his. He had a gentle smile on his gorgeous face. My breath hitched.

"Sure," I replied, my voice shaky and weak.

What was up with me? I hadn't been this nervous for a reason not related to my agoraphobia for a really long time. _It's just a guy, _I told myself over and over. But maybe that was the problem.

"Alright, what are we watching?" Alice bounded back into room, the bowl full of popcorn resting in her arms. She set the bowl on the table and spread out the stack of DVDs.

We ended up picking a comedy to start off the night and lighten the mood. Alice laughed her dainty laugh throughout the whole movie, and I let out a few chuckles as well. But it was Edward's laugh that really got my attention. It was strong and golden, carefree and lighthearted. I wanted to hear that sound over and over again.

The next movie was a bit of a chick flick, but Edward seemed not to mind as Alice sighed and fawned over the lead characters. For the majority of the time, I could feel Edward's stare coming at me from the couch. When I turned to look at him, I would be met with a gaze so intense, I had to look away. My face would flush, and I was glad that we were mostly in the dark so he wouldn't see my bright red cheeks.

The popcorn and candy supply dwindled as the night went on. Halfway through a blockbuster action movie, Alice had fallen asleep. I was tired, too. My eyes were closing and staying closed at frequent intervals. I decided that movie night was over, so I got up and turned off the tv and popped the DVD out of the player. Edward stood and stretched, his long and lean body moving silently. I could see his muscles move under the fabric of his brown shirt. He looked over at me and gave a small, crooked smile. I blushed for the umpteenth time, looking away. He moved over to Alice's sleeping form.

"Alice," he nudged, "come on. It's time to go."

Alice groaned and sat up. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and made to grab her bag.

"Thanks for letting us come over, Bella," she said sleepily. She slung her bag over her shoulder. Edward grabbed the stack of DVDs.

"It was fun, Alice." I really did enjoy myself. Watching movies with people who I might consider friends was the closest to normal I had been in a long time.

"See? We can definitely hang out, no worries," Alice said as she started to walk to the front door. Edward followed quietly behind her. I opened the door for them, letting the gust of night air wake me up a little. They walked out onto the porch.

"See ya, Bella!" Alice called, continuing her way down the stairs. Edward had stopped on the porch. He turned to face me.

"This was nice, Bella." His voice was muted and low. I nodded at him, unable to really say anything clever. He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again. After a moment, he spoke.

"Sleep well," he murmured, his piercing green eyes boring into mine. Then he turned swiftly and walked down the stairs, unlocking his car, a shiny silver Volvo, sitting on the curb.

I shut the door then, and turned to rest my back against it. A feeling of giddiness started to wash itself over me. I had done it! No freak outs, not too many awkward moments, and no feeling like I was different! I began smiling widely, probably looking like a total freak. But I didn't care. I felt like this could work, that moving to Forks wasn't going to be such a bad thing after all.

That night, I went to sleep with that stupid grin still stuck on my face. If Charlie had come in, I wouldn't have noticed due to the dreams that I was having: friends, sunshine, and a certain green-eyed boy.

* * *

EPOV:

I had half-dragged Alice into the house after getting home from Bella's. She trudged up the stairs, yawning the whole way. I followed and entered my room, shutting the door with my foot and jumping into my bed. Originally I had planned on going to Jasper's place, but his parents took him and his sister out to dinner; I instead was spending the evening at Bella's house for movie night.

Bella was so timid, so meek every time I saw her before. But tonight, I was able to see a different side of her. She was slightly more relaxed, and every time she chuckled I swore I could see a spark in her eyes. Her pale skin was illuminated by the blue sweater she wore, and anytime light cast over her face, a light rosy pink dusted her cheeks. I couldn't stop looking at her the entire night.

I didn't understand the rush of emotion I felt every time I thought about her. I barely knew her, and yet, she was already weaving her way into my life, first with the broken window, and now through my sister. Bella had created a presence in Forks; she just never saw it outside of her home.

I realized that Bella's presence was not only noticed by me when we were back in school on Monday. I was sitting in Biology, listening to my classmates chatter around me. I had already finished the assignment Mr. Banner had given us, and now I had an extra fifteen minutes to spare. Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton sat talking in the seats in front of me, leaning back as they half-heartedly completed their assignments.

"But yeah, she's a real weird one," Jessica said, marking something down on her paper.

"Who? Chief Swan's daughter?" Mike asked. I leaned forward a little in my seat so I could catch what they were saying.

"Yeah. I totally saw her when I was running yesterday. She was just standing on her front porch, staring at something," Jessica recalled, her voice going into top-secret-gossip mode. "She took a step down, and then she starting freaking out!"

"Really?" Mike questioned, sounding completely engrossed in her little story.

"Yup. She was like, screaming and crying. She ran back into the house after that." Jessica stopped talking to blow a bubble with the gum she was chewing obnoxiously.

"Wow. I still haven't seen her or anything, but I heard she has this weird disease where she can't go out into the sunlight," Mike said. I rolled my eyes. _Like a vampire? Wow, Mike. How'd you make it to junior year?_

"Whatever she has, she's totally a freak. I saw what she looked like and, well, let's just say it's good that she stays indoors," chuckled Jessica. Mike started laughing with her. I gripped the edge of my desk angrily, trying to resist the urge to put both of them in their place.

They didn't know Bella; how could they even judge her like that? But then again, I only knew Bella from a few encounters myself. Still, it was completely cruel to make fun of a girl who probably deals with more than any one of us would ever know. Plus, I thought Bella was actually very pretty, beautiful in her own natural way.

As the rest of the day passed, I realized that the majority of the other students had the same misconceptions about the Chief's daughter. The stories about why she moved here and why she doesn't come to school ranged from horrific to just downright stupid. Some said that Bella moved here after being abused and refused to come out to talk to anyone; others claimed that she had murdered her mother and her father was trying to cover it up by bringing her here and locking her up in the house. It was all so ridiculous, but there was no point in trying to change anyone's mind about her. All agreed, however, that Bella was some kind of troublemaker.

After school, I waited for Alice by the car, as usual. Jasper came up and leaned against the trunk. He heaved a great sigh.

"God, I hate Mondays," he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. "But Alice really does want to go to that bakery tonight, so I guess today can't be too bad."

"Well, that's all fine and dandy," I remarked, "but when are you actually gonna grow a pair and ask her to be your girlfriend?"

"Hey, I will! When the time is right," he half-mumbled. I raised an eyebrow at him. Before I could speak, though, Emmett came bounding up.

"What, no ride home with Rosalie?" I asked him when he tried to pull open the car door.

"Nope. Rose wants to get ready with Alice for tonight, so I'm not allowed to come over until they're ready," Emmett said. Emmett had been getting rides from either me or Rosalie, ever since he smashed his gigantic Jeep into a brick wall the other week (it's a long story). We were still waiting for the repairs to be finished. I couldn't wait; I didn't know how much longer I could handle Emmett putting his dirty feet up on the dashboard just to piss me off.

I grabbed the car remote from my pocket and unlocked the car. Emmett pulled open the door and sat down, letting his large legs hang out of the car.

"I guess Rosalie is gonna take Alice to the Chief's place," Jasper said, his eyes following the two girls in question as they exited from the school and made their way to Rosalie's car parked a few spaces away. I sighed and got into the car, Jasper following suit. As soon as all our doors were shut and seatbelts were on, I pulled out of the parking lot and drove us home.

I spent most of the afternoon composing, sitting at my piano with a pencil and some staff paper. I really had nothing to do, what with everyone heading up to Port Angeles tonight. Jasper just stayed with me until Rosalie came to pick him and Emmett up, and then it was silence for the rest of the night. My parents were in and out, my mother just starting up a new design job and my father rushing in to get a quick meal before going back to the hospital. I finally made my way to the kitchen around eight-thirty, looking for a snack. I heard the front door unlocking, and then soon after the fast footsteps of my siblings. Emmett's loud, clunking steps continued up the stairs, while Alice's light taps danced into the kitchen.

"Oh good, you're already down here," Alice said excitedly. She tossed her navy blue pea coat over one of the chairs sitting at the counter. In her other hand was a small green box covered in pink polka dots.

"What's that? Something for me?" I asked, seeing the words _Sugar Plum Bakery _written on the top of the box in curly cursive.

"No, it's for Bella, silly! I figured she'd like a cupcake, they are absolutely amazing," Alice sighed, plopping herself into a chair. Her usual smile seemed brighter than usual, and her eyes unfocused as her thoughts drifted.

"Are you okay?" I leaned on the counter.

"Wonderful!" Alice replied. I grew suspicious.

"Did something happen tonight?"

"Oh, well, now that you ask..." Alice trailed off, looking down at the marble countertop. I waited for her to speak, and when she didn't I sighed impatiently. Alice giggled loudly.

"Jasper asked me out! We're dating!"

"Finally!" I exclaimed. Alice rolled her eyes at me. "What? You two have been pining for each for I don't know how long, so forgive me for being happy that you guys are done doing your stupid mating dances around each other!"

"Whatever, Edward," she said, standing up. She shoved the cupcake box farther across the counter. "Don't eat this, it's Bella's." Then, with a slight huff, she left the kitchen and stomped her way up the stairs.

The next morning, when I was waiting for Alice to pick up Bella's homework, I sat with the car running, the heat blasting on high. Alice had darted in quickly to get out of the pouring rain, and she returned only a moment later with Bella at her heels. I was surprised to see Bella come out onto the porch, where she waved at me with the cupcake box in one of her hands. I smiled and waved back, warmed by the happy look I saw on Bella's face. She said a few more words to Alice, and then, after throwing a glance back at me, she ran back inside. Alice dashed back over to the car and slid in quickly.

"Whew, it's freezing!" Alice organized Bella's papers on her lap. I pulled off the curb and started on the way to school.

"Bella sure looked happy," I commented.

"Yeah, she really is a sweet girl. And actually, I was just going to ask you," she straightened out her outfit, "Halloween is next week. We should visit her while we're out."

Okay, so trick-or-treating is for little kids; we know that. But for teenagers like ourselves, Halloween is an excuse for the girls to dress in slutty costumes and for guys to run bigger scale pranks. Every year, Alice got us all to dress up in costumes and walk around, hitting up whatever Halloween parties were going down and occasionally getting candy from the few houses that were willing to give us any.

"Okay," I said, thrilled at another chance to interact with Bella. She was rapidly becoming a permanent fixture in my thoughts, and I didn't mind it one bit.

* * *

**A/N: I'll be updating soon! Reviews would be awesome!**


	5. Shift

**So, I'm really proud of myself due to the fact that this is the longest chapter to date. It's getting easier and easier for me to write, and I definitely owe a large part of it to you guys and your support. Thanks for keeping up with this story!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to say this every chapter? Stephenie Meyer is the rightful owner of all things Twilight.**

**EPOV:**

Halloween had finally arrived, bringing with it a moderately mild temperature outside. There wasn't going to be any rain this Monday night, perfect for our usual stroll around the neighborhood. It was also Fall Break; no school for the entire week. That left us with nothing to do but try to figure out what our costumes were. We didn't see what everyone was wearing until we all met at the Hale's home Halloween night.

Alice and Rosalie had bought their costumes together. Rosalie was a nurse, wearing a low-cut short white dress and white high-heeled shoes. She had a little hat on her head with a large red plus sign, and a white lace garter was sitting on the upper part of one of her thighs. Alice was a witch, complete with a traditional black pointy hat. Her black corset dress stopped at the thigh and she wore long black knee-high stockings to match. The black platform heels she was wearing made her just barely a head taller.

Emmett was paired with Rosalie; he was a doctor, clad in scrubs that he borrowed from my father. However, since my father was three times smaller than Emmett, the scrubs fit him very snugly, as if he was merely wearing spandex. He had smeared fake blood on the front, and had a stethoscope hanging around his thick neck.

Jasper wasn't planning on dressing up until him and Alice started dating. He was forced to throw together a costume last minute when Alice lectured him on having no "holiday spirit." He was a homeless man, wearing the oldest and baggiest clothes he could find. A black beanie was pulled over his head, and fingerless gloves covered his hands.

I was dressed as a prince; I was also forced into this ensemble by Alice. I had on one of those obnoxious puffy white shirts and a velvet vest to go over it. I was wearing khaki trousers, which were tucked into large black riding boots. _Straight out of a fairytale, _I thought, looking in the mirror.

We all assembled in the front room of the Hale's home. Emmett had a hard time keeping his hands off Rosalie, poking and touching her whenever he could. Jasper was on the phone with his mother, letting her know where we were going to be. Alice was helping me finish the rest of my costume. She buttoned a large dark cloak over my shoulders.

"And of course, the finishing touch," Alice crooned, placing a thin gold crown on the top of my head. I grumbled as she fussed with my hair.

"Are we ready?" I asked, trying not to feel like such a prick as I strode my way to the front door, the boots clanking loudly on the hardwood floor.

"Yeah, let's go," Jasper said, hanging up the phone and placing it in his pocket. We all exited the house, Rosalie locking the door behind her.

"The usual route?" Alice asked, walking next to Jasper. He put his arm around her, and she leaned into him as they walked.

"Sure. Tyler Crowley's house is up first, and he's hosting his own little thing this year," Rosalie suggested.

"Don't forget, we have to stop at Bella's, too," Alice reminded us. I realized that the only people in our group who hadn't seen Bella were Rosalie and Emmett. I hoped they didn't believe the crazy rumors at school.

We finally reached Tyler's house, which had quite a few people already there. Others were still showing up, carrying bottles of alcohol or bags of candy. Tyler, dressed as Spiderman, greeted people at the front door.

"Hey guys!" he said as we walked up.

"Hey Tyler," Emmett replied, and he stopped with Rosalie to talk to him. Jasper, Alice, and I continued on inside.

It was the usual drill: we talked and danced with a few friends, had a few to drink, and overall just enjoyed the night. Alice and Jasper were attached to the hip, seemingly dragging each other whenever one of them moved to a different location. I preferred to stay on the sidelines, only briefly chatting with a few guys on the baseball team whenever they passed by me. I was talking to Eric Yorkie about training workouts when, all of a sudden, a loud chant echoed throughout the room over the booming music.

Tyler, Mike, and a few other guys ran through the room, cheering and hollering. They jumped into each other, laughing and most likely really drunk. They left through the front door, shouting into the night.

"Well, that was random," I said. Eric shrugged, swinging the sword that went with his pirate costume.

"Yeah, and Tyler just totally ditched out on his own party," he smirked. I laughed with him, watching as a few girls went outside too, trying to follow the group that had left.

After a little while, Alice and Jasper came back up to me, arms wrapped around each other.

"We should go see Bella before it gets too late," Alice yelled over the music. I nodded, and we searched the house until we found Rosalie and Emmett, who were hiding in the coat closet. We left the party together, going down the street towards Bella's house.

There were only a few little kids still out, running around with sackfuls of candy. As we walked we saw that most of the homes had finished giving out candy, so no freebies for us. About three blocks away from Bella's, we saw the group of guys from the party walking across the street. They were still loud and cheery, laughing like a bunch of frat boys. Mike and Tyler were at the head of the group, with Jessica on Mike's arm and Lauren on Tyler's. I mentally groaned when I saw Lauren.

"Oh, it's Edward! Hi Edward!" Lauren shouted, alerting the whole group to our presence.

"Hey! How's it going?" Mike called, acting like we were all close friends.

"You guys bored at my house already?" Tyler teased, stumbling over the sidewalk. He was still hanging on to Lauren, who was dressed as a slutty version of a police officer.

"Nah, man. We just have other stops," Emmett responded, pulling Rosalie closer to his side.

The big group started to break up, some people going in one direction, and others going back to Tyler's. Mike, dressed as an escaped convict in a traditional orange jumpsuit, waved at us.

"There's a little party at my place too, just so you know," he yelled over to us. Jessica followed him, wearing a sparkly dress and feathers in her curly hair. She cackled drunkenly.

"That was too funny, Mike," she crooned. He just laughed and pulled her along with him. Together with a few other kids, they disappeared down the street.

We kept on walking, hearing the sound of the group fade away. When we were down the street from Bella's house, however, we didn't hear the silence of the night as usual. Instead, there were loud, painful shrieks piercing the air. We all looked at each other, concerned, and moved a bit faster to Bella's. As we finally made our way onto the property, we discovered that the home had been egged. There was egg yolk dripping all down the sides of the house and the windows. The porch was littered with egg shells, and, as we got closer to the open front door, we found the source of the noise.

Bella was curled up on the ground in front of the last step of her porch, screaming and crying with terror. Her tiny frame was shaking with the force of her sobs. My heart broke as she threaded her hands through her hair and pulled tightly, eyes shut and face wet with tears. Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie were frozen in shock on the sidewalk. Alice and I ran towards her, but stopped before we could actually touch her.

"Bella? What happened, sweetie?" Alice asked, kneeling down to Bella's level. Bella only sobbed harder, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. "Oh my God, what's wrong with her, Edward?"

"I don't know, but we need to get her inside," I urged, also kneeling down. I reached out to touch her shoulder. When my hand made contact, her whole body tensed, and she didn't stop crying. I didn't want her to be uncomfortable with me touching her, but I had to move her. I decided that the best way to do this was to just pick her up and carry her in.

"Alice, I'm going to put her on the couch." I put one arm under her knees and the other under her back. I stood carefully with Bella in my arms, gently cradling her to my chest. She didn't seem to notice that she was moving. She was so light and small in my arms, I pulled her closer to me, shielding her from the night. I tried to go up the porch stairs as fast as I could. Alice had already run up there and was holding the door open for me. She beckoned to the others as I passed her.

I set Bella down lightly on the couch in the living room, and stayed with her, pulling her into a hug against my side. She had stopped the heavy sobbing and instead began trembling violently, whimpering and sniffling as tears still ran down her face. I rubbed my arms along her sides, trying to sooth her and calm her down. Alice came in with a blanket she had found, and wrapped it over Bella as best she could. She went into the kitchen, then came back with a glass of water and Rosalie following behind her with a box of tissues. Apparently, the other guys were told to wait in the kitchen.

"Has she said anything about what happened?" asked Alice, running a hand over Bella's flushed face.

"No," I answered, still rubbing up Bella's arm. Rosalie looked at me oddly, setting down the tissues on the coffee table. I gave her a questioning look, but she just shook her head and turned to go back into the kitchen. Alice left to make sure that the front door was locked.

"It's okay, Bella," I whispered. "Shhh, it's okay."

Bella took in deep shuddering breaths, and instead of pushing me away, she grabbed onto me tighter, fisting her hands into my shirt. I rubbed her back as she started to breathe normally, and after a few minutes she was silent, save a few sniffles.

"You're okay now, Bella," I said delicately. She sighed.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice hoarse from the screams and the sobbing.

Alice came back into the room and sat down in the recliner next to the couch. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper emerged from the kitchen, looking unsure.

"Oh God, that's just great," Bella grumbled when she saw the extra company. She sat up, letting go of me and trying to wipe her face clean. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"You guys were supposed to wait in the kitchen!" Alice exclaimed, annoyed. "Sorry, Bella."

"Hey, we wanted to help, too!" Emmett protested. "I'm already dressed the part and everything!" He gestured to his costume with one hand and wiggled his stethoscope in the air with the other hand.

A small sound, a sort of chuckle, burst from Bella, surprising us all. She kept on giggling at Emmett and the pitiful look on his face.

"I'm sorry," she said, still wiping tears from her face. "But you look really silly."

Emmett wiggled his eyebrows obnoxiously and then bowed as if he was finished giving a performance, only to knock his large head into the table next to him. We all laughed then, the mood in the room lightening up considerably. Alice shook her head, exasperated, and stood to make introductions.

"This is Rosalie, Jasper's sister," Alice pointed to Rosalie. "And that big idiot is Emmett, my brother and Rosalie's boyfriend."

Bella nodded shyly at them in greeting. Alice walked over to Jasper and put her hand in his.

"And of course, you already know Jasper," she cooed, "my boyfriend!"

Jasper smiled, swinging his and Alice's hands together. Bella smiled back and, with a sigh, she sat up straighter, looking down at her lap.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this," she said quietly. We all looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"Hey, don't worry about it. But do you mind telling us, well, what happened?" Alice cautiously asked.

Bella looked up, but instead of meeting any of our gazes, she stared in the direction of the front door. She had a look of disappointment on her face, and her eyes grew tight as she told us what had happened.

**

* * *

**

**BPOV:**

I felt my embarrassment and self-loathing grow as I weakly recounted the events that led to my latest freakout.

_Charlie secured his belt around his waist, looking at me hesitantly as I finished the rest of my dinner at the table._

_"Are you sure you'll be okay here, Bells?" he asked._

_"Yes, Dad. It's just Halloween," I said, a little irritated that he doubted that I could handle being alone for a night._

_"Okay. Well, there really aren't many trick-or-treaters in this part of town, but just in case, there's some candy by the front door." He patted his pockets for his keys. "I'll be around, just patrolling for any troublemakers. I'll be back later."_

_"Alright," I replied, watching him go to the door. He nodded goodbye and left loudly, slamming the door behind him. Not too long after that, I heard the sound of the cruiser leaving its usual spot._

_I spent the darkening evening reading on the couch in the living room. There were only a few kids that passed by and rang the doorbell. I quietly gave them their candy and went back to my book, settling against the silence. It was later in the evening when I heard a light, pelting sound coming from outside. It reminded me of the rain whenever it came down steady. I heard a loud, cackling laugh then, so I got up off the couch to open the front door, wondering if there were still a few stray children still outside. _

_Instead of little kids with open bags of candy, I was greeted with the sight of a group of teenagers, all around my age. They were all dressed in costumes, some with masks that covered their faces. There were two boys in the front, one dressed as an escaped convict and the other was dressed as Spiderman. They had large smirks on their faces and had cartons of eggs in their hands. The others had plastic bags full of what appeared to be more egg cartons._

_"Trick or treat!" They shouted, slurring their words together. I moved back farther into the house and began to shut the door, knowing there was nothing I could do about the eggs. Charlie was going to be furious when he came home._

_Just as I was about to close the door, they stumbled forward, jumping up onto the porch and blocking __the path of the door. The Spiderman guy grabbed my arm and pulled me out onto the porch. I yelped, almost falling flat on my face._

_"You're Chief Swan's daughter," he said, never letting go of my arm._

_"You're very pretty," the other one drawled, leaning in close to my face._

_"Come have some fun with us," said the first. The large group laughed, and I could hear that it was a mixture of girls and guys, all of them drunk. _

_"Let go of me!" I tried to fight, yanking at my arm. He was too strong, and started to pull me onto the stairs._

_My heart went into overdrive. I couldn't go any farther, I just couldn't! My brain was telling my body to stop, stop moving, go back, fight, fight, fight! But instead, I was dragged like a rag doll, first down one step, then the second, then the next one after that..._

_My feet touched the gravel pathway that led to the front of the house. The group was still laughing and cat-calling loudly into the night. I couldn't breathe; there was too much, it was all too much._

_There was a strange, choking, shrieking sound surrounding me, barely audible under the frantic beating of my heart. The group stopped, and I was dropped to the ground. I lay there, curling up and pressing my face to my knees, wanting to hide. It took me a minute to realize that the weird sound I heard was me. _I _was the one making the dreadful noise. I only caught a few phrases as the people around me spoke._

_"Oh my God, look at her!"_

_"...great, dude. The Chief will never know who it was, I'll bet..."_

_"...not even pretty, she's a total freak..."_

_"...should just leave her. Let's go back..."_

_"...my house. Just stop by when you want..."_

_I could sense that they were leaving, the sounds of the group fading as they got farther away. I was still __on the ground, screams still pouring out of my mouth. I was _outside, _here in the open. I couldn't make myself get up and move; the enormity of it all was crushing me, keeping me trapped within my own inaction. I could only faintly register that someone had come, that someone was calling my name..._

I had come to the end of the story, my voice growing shaky at the recollection. Everyone was staring at me with varying degrees of shock and anger on their faces, Edward the most infuriated. His eyes, normally so soft and gentle, were dark and frozen. He was breathing hard, as if he had run a race. His hands were gripping the couch cushion so tightly, his knuckles had turned white. I cleared my throat, uncomfortable with the silence.

"I'm sorry for freaking out. Really, it wasn't that big of a deal," I tried to excuse my behavior, not wanting them to know that this was the constant reality for me. Edward looked at me, still furious, but now there was disbelief in his gaze.

"Bella, you honestly can't say that it wasn't a big deal. They could have hurt you," he said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Yeah, those guys were assholes, they shouldn't have done any of that!" Emmett exclaimed.

"So that's what Mike and Tyler were doing when they left the house," Alice stated, her brow furrowing. She looked stoically at Edward for a moment, and then back to me.

"We're gonna stay here with you, until your father gets back," she said firmly. I shook my head.

"Really, you don't have to. I'm fine now," I insisted, not wanting to burden them on a night that should be spent having fun.

"Yes, but now that we know who did it, we can tell him and make it much easier for them to get in trouble," Alice explained. Edward stood up and walked over to Jasper and Emmett, nodding them over to a corner of the room. They stood together and started talking in hushed voices. Alice came over to sit next to me, while Rosalie moved a bit closer, still standing.

"Don't worry, Bella. Those guys will be taken care of," Alice said reassuringly. She took my hand in hers and patted it. I sighed.

"I don't want to cause any trouble," I mumbled, looking at my hand.

"Rose and I will be happy to help you out," chirped Alice, looking up at Rosalie. "Right?"

But Rosalie wasn't paying attention to us. She was looking in the direction of the boys, who were still talking quickly. A small frown tugged at her delicate face. She was still for a few seconds, seemingly listening for something. Then, suddenly, she lashed out.

"Absolutely NOT!" Rosalie yelled, scaring the entire room. "You are NOT going to go fight them!"

I gasped, and Alice jumped up, her hands on her hips.

"But babe, we gotta!" Emmett whined. Rosalie stomped over to the three of them.

"No, you don't. If you fight, you can get in just as much trouble as them. Be the bigger person and don't stoop to their level!" she growled. "Besides, Tyler is one of your best friends. He just probably had too much to drink."

"Please don't fight them," I pleaded, my small voice cutting across the room. Edward turned and looked at me, his face falling.

"But, Bella..." he trailed off, seeing the begging look I'm sure was on my face. He looked to the ground, then back at me. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

"Okay," he said quietly. Emmett's shoulders slumped.

"Dude, come on," Emmett pressed. Edward just shook his head. Emmett groaned, shuffled his way to Charlie's recliner and sat, a pout on his face. Rosalie rolled her eyes and went over to sit on the arm of the chair, crossing her arms and leaning into to him.

"When is your dad coming back, Bella?" Jasper asked, going over to Alice and putting his arm around her. Edward came over to sit next to me again.

"Um, pretty soon, I think," I guessed, knowing that it was too late for any other kids to be out. "We can all just watch TV while we wait, or something."

The time waiting for Charlie was spent watching whatever late night talk shows and Halloween specials were on. Emmett and Jasper practically devoured the rest of the candy that I had. Rosalie and Alice chatted a little, both getting annoyed with their costumes. Edward just sat quietly beside me, glancing at me every now and then. He wasn't touching me, but there were moments when I wanted him to. My body seemed completely in tune with his presence. Finally, I heard the unmistakable sound of gravel crunching as the cruiser pulled up to the house.

"Bella? Are you okay? Someone egged the house," Charlie called as he unlocked and opened the door. His face was the picture of surprise as he saw the six teenagers holed up in the living room. Alice stood and walked over to him.

"Hello, sir. We know who did it, and we stayed with Bella to make sure she was fine," she said, extending her hand out for him to shake. "I'm Alice Cullen."

"Oh yes, you bring Bella's homework," Charlie took her hand and shook it once. "Cullen," he murmured, and then looked at the boys. "You boys staying out of trouble?" he asked, looking at Emmett specifically.

"Yes, sir. Of course," Emmett smiled, trying to look innocent. Edward chuckled. Charlie huffed, and noticed the rest of the people in the room.

"You two, it's Hale, right?" he questioned, looking as Rosalie and Jasper. They nodded.

"Well, let's hear it. What happened?" Charlie asked, leaning in the doorway. I sighed, leaning back into the couch. _What a night._

* * *

It was a little after midnight. Charlie had asked for every single little detail about the group of drunk teenagers, and the Cullens and the Hales had offered what they could. They left out the part about me and my episode outside, and for that I was grateful. Charlie didn't need to hear more about how pathetic I had been. I was now standing at the front door, leaving it open and leaning against the doorway. I was staring out at the street as everyone wrapped up the discussion. I could hear Charlie thanking them, and their footsteps came up behind me.

"Bye Bella, I'll see you soon!" Alice said, dragging Jasper along, who offered a small smile and a wave. Rosalie and Emmett came next.

"You're a pretty cool chick, Bella," Emmett remarked, a large smile spreading on his face. "Let's hang again soon."

I nodded and Rosalie cleared her throat to speak. "It was nice meeting you," she said.

"You too," I replied, and she and Emmett walked off together. Edward stepped out onto the porch and turned to face me.

"Thanks for...well, everything," I suddenly stuttered out, feeling the urge to thank him. He smiled that devastatingly beautiful crooked smile.

"No problem," he said, shrugging.

I wrapped my arms around myself. "It was like, I don't know, you were my knight in shining armor, or something." The words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them. I avoided his eyes and blushed furiously, embarrassed.

He laughed then, shaking his head. "More like a prince," he chuckled, pointing to the crown set askew on his messy head of hair. I laughed too, nodding.

"You're right," I agreed. He sighed then, almost as if he were saddened by something.

"What is it?" I asked.

"When will I see you again?" he blurted out, looking just as surprised as I was at his words.

"Um, I don't know?" I replied. "Soon?"

"Soon," he nodded, staring into my eyes intently. I held his gaze, biting my lip. He breathed in deeply, and a small grin reappeared on his face.

"Bye, Bella," he said, his voice trailing off into a whisper. He started to make his way down the stairs.

"Bye," I called, watching him as left, his long legs striding along the pavement. I was already missing him; "soon" had better hurry up.

* * *

**A/N: So Bella has finally met everyone. How will things progress? Stay tuned to find out!**


	6. Entranced

**Okay, so, I'm not feeling as good about this chapter. I really need your guys' opinion on this one. Don't be afraid to be honest, and let me know what you think!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

**EPOV:**

Over the next few school-less days, I found myself trying to find excuses to see Bella again. Alice didn't have to bring Bella's homework until school resumed, so there was no luck there. I tried to subtly give Alice hints on things to do with Bella so I'd have the chance to drive her over there, but she was too busy either texting Jasper or going out with him on dates. On the mildly sunny Thursday before school started, she finally grew annoyed at my insistent comments about going to Bella's.

"If you want to go over there so bad, why don't you do it yourself?" Alice snapped after I had suggested that she go and see whether the Chief had cleaned the house off yet.

"Well, I don't want to be rude," I said, sitting on our kitchen counter. Alice was putting clean dishes away and finishing up some chores before Jasper and her went out again.

"You won't be rude if you call first. I have their number," she offered, stacking plates into a pile.

"Um, well, how do I know that I'm not interrupting something? I wouldn't want to bother them," I said, trying to sound casual and innocent. Alice turned to look at me, crossing her arms in front of her. She raised her eyebrows at me.

"So, you're all for _me_ going over there, but you won't go _yourself_," she stated, skeptical.

"I just don't want to inconvenience them, that's all. Plus, they know you better than me," I said, avoiding looking her in the eyes. Alice was silent for a moment, and then she gasped.

"Oh! I see," she exclaimed. She smirked at me. "You like Bella."

My eyes widened. "Well, yes, she's a nice person," I stammered out. Alice only shook her head, grinning.

"No, you _like _her. Like, _really _like her."

I had nothing to say to that. If I was being honest with myself, it was true. I was completely smitten with Bella. She brought out feelings in me that I had never really known before, although we had really only interacted a few times. I wanted to change that; I wanted to really get to know her, learn everything about her. Sure, there had been other girls in the past where I had felt some degree of caring for them, but never the way it was with Bella.

"Aw, Edward! You two would be great together! You absolutely have to let me help you!" Alice squealed, her face brightening at the prospect.

"Alice," I groaned, jumping off of the counter. "I don't need you to help me."

"If you don't need me, then why don't you just call her right now? All by yourself." She grabbed the cordless phone from its place on another counter. She started punching in Bella's phone number, stopping before the last number. She looked up at me, daring me to stop her. I sighed and nodded, reaching my hand out for the phone. She pressed the last number and hit the call button. I brought the phone to my ear and listened to the ringing noise, anxious.

"Hello?" Bella answered, her voice soft and quiet.

"Hi Bella, it's Edward," I said. It took a second for her to answer.

"Hi Edward, what's up?" she asked, sounding a little surprised.

"Well, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to do something today," I responded, looking at Alice. She gave me a thumbs up.

"Um, like what?" Bella questioned. I quickly searched my mind for some kind of idea, looking up excitedly when it finally came to me.

"I have an idea, but you have to trust me, okay?" I said. Alice looked confused at my words, and tried to silently ask what I was planning. I ignored her wondering looks.

"Um..." Bella fell silent, unsure.

"I promise we can do something else, or I can leave or something if you don't want to do it," I assured. Bella was quiet for a few seconds, and then she spoke.

"Okay."

* * *

I pulled up to Bella's house later that afternoon, feeling a mixture of anxiety and excitement. This would be the first chance I would really get to spend time with Bella. The police cruiser was gone from its spot; Bella was home alone as usual. The house was the complete opposite of the last time I had seen it. It was clean and bright, absent of the egg shells and yolk that had decorated it on Halloween. I parked on the curb and pulled out the basket I had brought with me, packed with food that Alice and I made. Alice thought the idea was totally romantic: a picnic on her front porch, where almost every encounter between us had happened. It was very balmy outside, and I thought it fitting that we learn from each other in the place where it all began.

I locked my car and made my way up onto the porch. I set the basket down at my side and rang the doorbell, patiently waiting for Bella to answer. The door swung open after a few seconds.

"Hi!" I greeted, smiling at the sight of Bella's beautiful brown eyes meeting mine. She blushed.

"Hey," she said, pulling the door open a bit farther. She was wearing a pair of light-wash jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, the color making her skin glow. Her chestnut-colored hair was thrown up in a messy ponytail, and her lips were full and slightly parted.

"How far are you willing to go out?" I asked, gesturing to the area around me and softening my gaze so she would know that I meant her no harm. Bella looked down at her feet.

"Maybe to the first step," she said, her voice small and ashamed.

"Well, that's all we need," I said confidently. I picked up the basket and showed it to her. "Lunch for two?"

She stared at me, shocked. Her eyes darted back and forth between the basket and my face. Finally, she looked out at the porch.

"Right here?" she asked meekly. I nodded and reached into the basket, pulling out a large blanket.

"Is this okay?" My voice was softer, trying to let her know that I wouldn't make her do anything she wouldn't want to do.

Bella's eyes scanned the surroundings again, and then nodded her head slowly. "Yes," she whispered, and she gave me a small grin. I smiled back widely, and moved to spread the blanket out on the porch. Bella stood by the doorway, watching me. I set the basket on one corner of the blanket and sat down next to it. I looked at Bella and patted the space next to me. She turned and shut the front door behind her, and after that she walked over and slowly sat down next to me, crossing her legs under her. I pulled out a couple of the tupperware containers I had packed that were full of food.

"Did you make all of this?" Bella eyed the stack of containers with curiosity.

"Alice helped," I replied, taking out some paper plates and cups. I set everything out in front of us, and proceeded to serve Bella some of the food. She just stared at me with a look on her face that I couldn't figure out. I looked at her, unsure of what was going through her mind.

"What?" I asked. She shook her head, accepting the plate from me.

"Nothing," she said, looking down at the blanket.

"I promise, it's not poisoned," I winked, and she chuckled lightly.

We ate slowly, not worrying about the passing time. The late afternoon brought light sunshine and a slightly warm breeze, blowing across us as we sat. We talked about our interests; books and movies and music that we liked, our pet peeves, and what we thought about different issues. Bella had a very sharp mind, and I could tell she really liked having someone to discuss these things with. I loved watching her speak about her ideas; her eyes would grow wide and light up, full of enthusiasm. Our childhood stories, however, had us near tears with our laughter.

"I swear, Emmett was never the same after that," I laughed, wiping the wetness from my eyes. "He refuses to go anywhere near a gas station bathroom."

"Well, I would too if I had accidentally walked in on two men in costumes getting it on," Bella giggled, popping a piece of fruit delicately in her mouth. "Especially at age 7."

"Definitely," I agreed, watching the way her lips closed around the fruit. I looked up to her eyes, and she was smiling brightly at me. I looked back down at my plate, warmed by the true happiness I saw on her face.

After we were full from the food, we had spread out on the blanket. The warmth of the outdoors combined with the quiet environment had lulled us into a sort of content silence. It was amazing just being able to lay here with Bella, not speaking and not having a need to. We were on our backs staring up at the underside of the awning overhanging the porch. I was so surprisingly comfortable that I was actually sleepy, and probably would have gone to sleep if Bella hadn't suddenly started speaking.

"Why did you do this for me, Edward?" she quietly asked. I turned to look at her. She was still looking up, but her face was solemn.

"I just wanted to," I said, crossing my arms to rest behind my head.

"But...why?" she pressed, sounding very confused. I turned and rested on my side so I could look at her. She was staring at me, a crease in her brow and the corners of her lips turned down.

"I really like spending time with you, Bella. You're a great person," I insisted sincerely. Her chocolate brown eyes widened, and then watered as they filled with tears. She propped herself up on one arm.

"Really?" she whispered. I nodded fiercely. Her trembling lips broke into a smile, and my heart stopped for just a moment.

We stared at each other for another minute, not wanting to break up the mood. Finally, Bella sighed and glanced back out at the street. Shadows were starting to grow as the sun began its descent, and the air grew a bit cooler.

"I'd better go in and start dinner. Charlie will be home soon," she sighed, standing up and stretching. I stood too, and together we cleaned up the remnants of our picnic. I shoved the containers back into the basket, and Bella helped me fold up the blanket into a little bundle. I set everything on the first step, and turned back to Bella, who was now leaning up against the front door.

"Thank you, really. This was...amazing. I had fun," she said, her voice soft with affection.

I walked a bit closer to her and reached out my hand slowly, taking one of her hands. She stood frozen, and I kept my eyes on hers to make sure this was okay.

"I'm glad," I murmured, bringing her hand to my lips. I kissed her soft skin gently, and then let go of her hand, stepping back. "I'll see you later, Bella."

"Bye," she breathed, her cheeks flushed with a light pink. I smiled and grabbed the basket and the blanket, jumping down the steps and throwing a look back at her as I walked.

She was still standing there, watching me walk to the driver's side of my Volvo. I waved at her and slipped inside the car, tossing everything in the back. As I started the car and pulled off of the curb, I couldn't help but smile. Today had been a success, and I couldn't wait to spend more days like this with Bella.

**

* * *

**

**BPOV:**

I watched Edward leave until I could no longer see the silver Volvo drive down the street. I stepped back inside and shut the door, locking it behind me.

Today was quite possibly one of the best days of my life. Having a picnic on the porch with Edward was so surreal; this beautiful boy was talking to me, getting to know me, interacting with me on a normal level. I was afraid that he hadn't really wanted to come and only did it as a favor to Alice or something, but when he said that he enjoyed spending time with me, my heart was to the point of no return. I had never felt like this before, and it was all spinning out of my control. I didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, yet.

I really cared for Edward, and he made me feel like a regular girl. I forgot who I was and what I was going through every time I heard him laugh, and his smile stunned me into silence. I found myself desperately wishing that I could be someone he deserved, someone normal.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I walked into the kitchen and decided to get started on dinner. I opened the fridge and glanced through everything we had, deciding on doing some steak. I grabbed everything I needed out of the fridge and started my usual routine, losing myself in my cooking.

I had just about finished with a salad for a side dish when I heard the sound of the door unlocking at the front of the house. Charlie's loud footsteps echoed in the house.

"Bells?" he called, and I rolled my eyes. _It's not like I would go anywhere, Dad._

"In the kitchen," I responded, tossing the salad a few more times. Charlie entered then, slipping off his jacket and hanging it on the back of his chair.

"I finally filed reports against those kids who egged the house," he said, walking to the fridge and pulling out a beer. He popped the top open and sat down in his chair, leaning back.

"Are they in a lot of trouble?" I asked, bringing plates and silverware to the table.

"Well, it was hard to confirm that it was them. Just because Alice and her friends saw them walking out around the same time doesn't mean that they did it. Since Alice didn't see them actually do it, there's no real proof."

"But I saw them!" I exclaimed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah, I believe you and your friends, Bells. But the other guys at the station, well, they're a little harder to sway over, especially since they are related to some of the kids involved and refuse to believe it."

"That's so wrong."

"Hey, I may be Chief, but I'm not the sole authority of this town. And I'd really hate to burn any bridges with the guys, you know?"

"Yeah," I said, serving him his steak. I should have known that those people would have gotten away with it; after all, if Alice and her group hadn't come, what would I have done? I hardly remembered what they looked like, and they were all wearing costumes. I was lucky that that group and the Cullens and the Hales had seen each other in the street beforehand.

After dinner, I went upstairs to my room and checked my email on my ancient computer. I had several messages from Renee, most of them asking how I was and what I was doing. I clicked on her latest one and wrote a short reply. This time, however, it was easier to sound happy when I talked about what I did here. I finally had friends and a somewhat questionable relationship with a gorgeous boy. I had finished the email and sent it out when I heard Charlie call my name from downstairs.

"Bella! Phone!"

"I'm coming," I called back, and nearly ran out of my room. I skipped down the stairs, stubbing my foot on the last step as I came to a stop, and walked up to the phone, grabbing the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Bella! You have to tell me how this afternoon went!" Alice squealed. I pulled the receiver back from my ear, recoiling from the high-pitched sound.

"Um, it was nice?" It came out as a question.

"Well, I'll bet, seeing as how Edward couldn't stop smiling when he got home. But come on, give me details!"

"We just talked, Alice," I said, a little confused. Why was Alice so excited?

"Are you _sure _that's all?" she pressed.

"I guess, yeah."

"But, did he _do _anything else?"

"Uh, he kissed my hand?" I looked down at the hand that his gentle lips had caressed earlier today.

"AWWWWWW!!!!" This time I really pushed the receiver away from my ear. Alice was seriously going to make me lose my hearing if she kept this up.

"That's too adorable, Bella!" Alice cooed, and then she giggled happily.

"Okay..." I replied, unsure.

"Well listen, Bella. I've got to go since it's late and all, but expect me to come over on Saturday, okay? We need some girl time!"

"Sure," I said, shaking my head at Alice's silliness.

"Okay, bye!" The phone clicked. Putting the receiver back, I turned and walked back up the stairs to my room.

A feeling of disbelief hit me as I lay down on my bed. "Girl time," as Alice had put it, was definitely another first for me. The longer that I was here in Forks, the more experiences I began to have that I never even dreamed possible. It was like living here had brought me a strange and rare run of good luck, and I wasn't about to let it slip by.

* * *

When Alice rang the doorbell Saturday afternoon, I had no idea what to expect. I opened the door and was surprised to see that she had two large bags, one hanging on each shoulder. She was wearing a lavender dress with black leggings, and a black cardigan covered her arms. She turned and waved to Rosalie, who had driven her here in a flashy red convertible. Then she turned back and stepped into the house.

"I have a plan, just go with it, okay?" Alice said quickly. I just nodded and shut the door and followed her to the staircase. On the way, we passed Charlie in the living room, who beamed at the both of us. His eyes made contact with mine and he looked so happy that I actually had company over, I swore I could see his eyes water with emotion. I smiled back and looked away before I got too emotional.

Up in my room, Alice dumped the contents of one of the bags onto my bed. A curling iron, a straightener, and several large bottles of various hair products spilled out onto my comforter. The other bag contained all kinds of different makeup products. I looked at Alice questioningly.

"What's all this for, Alice?"

"You, silly! Bella, you're a beautiful girl, and I think it's time that you play up that beauty. Plus, you gotta give me all the details about Thursday and you and Edward!"

"Oh, Alice, I don't know," I mumbled, looking down at my feet. I honestly didn't think that I was anything worth looking at. But when I looked up, Alice had the biggest pout on her pixie-like face.

"Please, Bella? You're my friend, and I really do want to do this for you. Plus, it's not like I have any sisters of my own to be girly with," she glanced away, looking sad and brokenhearted. How could anyone say no to that?

"Fine," I sighed, "but nothing too dramatic."

"Of course," she replied cheerily, the sad look in her eyes gone immediately. "I'm only gonna enhance what you already have. Bella, really. You. Are. Pretty."

I only shook my head, disagreeing completely. She rolled her eyes and grabbed some of the bottles. "Bathroom's this way, right?" she asked, nodding down the hall.

"Yeah," I said, and followed her into our cramped bathroom.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent doing my hair; Alice washed it and conditioned it several times, and then blow-dried it straight. She then straightened out any waves and curled the ends gently. She moved on to my makeup, and per my request, used only very light products. I kept my eyes closed during most of the process. I was partly relaxed by the pampering and partly afraid of how ferocious Alice was when it came to this kind of stuff. She worked with such efficiency, it was as if she had been doing this her whole life (and she probably had).

While she worked, Alice asked me to recall every detail of the picnic. I really didn't understand why she was so interested. She seemed very excited that I had a good time, and she began suggesting more and more activities for me and Edward to do together.

"I mean, he really doesn't go out much, but when he does, it's usually just to a friend's house, or something like that. So it's perfect that you just stay at home anyway, because he can just visit you here!" she rambled, lightly dusting powder on my face. My eyes shot open at her words.

"Just because I can't go anywhere doesn't mean that I don't want to," I said seriously. Alice stopped her movements. An apologetic look came over her face as she realized what she said.

"Oh no, Bella, I didn't mean it like that," she tried to backtrack. I avoided her pitiful gaze.

"I know," I said quietly. "You just don't really know what it's like."

"I'm...I'm sorry." Genuine sadness painted Alice's face. I sighed, trying to bring myself out of the thoughts that were constantly at the forefront of my mind.

"It's okay," I replied, trying to smile back at her to let her know I wasn't mad at her. She smiled tentatively back.

"All your eyes need is a little mascara and they'll be perfect," she stated, returning back to her cheery self. I just shook my head and closed my eyes again, letting her decorate me as she wished.

After Alice had finished, she walked me over to the full length mirror in my room. My eyes widened in surprise as I looked at her work. My hair was extremely shiny and silky smooth, the ends curling inward and smooth. My face was brighter, my skin smooth and clear. Mascara had indeed changed the look of my eyes; the lashes were full and long, fluttering as I blinked. There was a very light flush of color on my cheeks, and my lips were plump and pink with lip gloss. I turned back to Alice and grinned.

"I love it, Alice," I said honestly, and she laughed, running over to give me a hug.

"I told you so!" she taunted, smoothing my hair down with her hands.

Charlie had ordered a pizza for dinner, and Alice decided to have Edward come pick her up after we ate. Charlie watched us for a moment as we both chatted over large slices of pepperoni pizza, then left the room smiling as he went back to watching tv. Alice tried to tell me how to keep up with what she had done with my hair, but I really couldn't understand what she was talking about. We were cleaning up the dishes and putting them away when the doorbell rang, signaling Edward's arrival.

"I'll get it!" I called to Charlie, passing him on my way to the door.

"Bye Chief Swan!" Alice waved to him as she carried her bags with her. Charlie waved back at Alice, not tearing his eyes from the television screen.

I wrenched open the door, revealing Edward in a striped green button shirt and light khakis. The pleasant look on his face turned into one of awe as he gawked at me. I felt the familiar blush creep onto my cheeks. His emerald eyes were scanning every detail of my face, and we said nothing as the time grew on. Alice finally cleared her throat and stepped in view, breaking his trance.

"I'm ready," she said, smirking as she looked back and forth between us.

"Uh, yeah, okay," Edward stammered, never taking his eyes off of me.

"I'll be here as usual on Monday morning, Bella," Alice reminded me. I nodded, watching her join her brother out on the porch. She waved and winked at me, then turned and walked out to the car. Edward stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking down at his feet.

"Hey," I said lamely.

"Hi," he replied, looking back at me from under his lashes. My heart stuttered for a moment. _What was this boy doing to me?_

"You look very pretty," he complimented, and my face grew hotter, if that were possible.

"Thank you," I mumbled. The corner of his mouth turned up in a half grin.

"Well, I have to take Alice home, but I was wondering if you'd like to hang out again sometime?"

"Sure," I answered, already thrilled at the thought of spending more time with him. He nodded, and turned to leave. I was then hit with a sense of deja vu; all of the encounters that I had ever had with Edward had began on this very porch. It was becoming a place of importance for me, and I took this into consideration as I watched him leave.

"Goodbye, Bella. I'll call you," he yelled over his shoulder.

"Goodbye, Edward."

* * *

**A/N: I don't know how many times I used the word "smile" or "grin" in this chapter, haha. Anyway, please review!**


	7. Dejected

**Thanks so much for everyone's reviews! It definitely keeps me going, and some of the things you guys say make me cry (that's a good thing, ha). **

**You may hate me after this chapter, though. There is definitely some heartfail here, I'm warning you all now. But if you can get through it, you will be rewarded with more story, I promise. :)**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: Do I have to do one for every chapter? I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

**EPOV:**

School was dreadful after the break. The knowledge that we were only a quarter into the year was torture; even more so for Emmett, who was a senior. He was constantly restless, going on about how he couldn't wait to leave home. Alice and I rolled our eyes at each other whenever he said this, because we both knew that he would be homesick within a few weeks. It was just the way Emmett was.

The first day back, I had to restrain myself from marching up to Mike and Tyler and punching them in their ugly faces. They laughed and stormed around like normal; from what Bella told me, they didn't actually get in trouble since there was no proof. They had no clue that Jasper, Emmett, and I were very close to hunting them down that night, and now Emmett was at a loss about what to do with his friendship with Tyler and the rest of them. He just silently accompanied them wherever they went, leaving them confused with the distance that he was starting to put between them.

As the days went on, though, I spent more and more time with Bella. I had started staying with her after school when Alice would bring her homework. Alice and I would help Bella with some of the topics she didn't understand, giving her our notes that we had taken in class. Sometimes Alice would go home with Rose and Jasper, giving me the task of delivering Bella's homework by myself (which I didn't mind at all).

I noticed that I was starting to see less of Jasper now that he was dating my sister. He was my best friend, and I felt a little bit lost at the absence of his presence in my life. The same thing happened with Emmett; he was constantly over at the Hale's place. I guess that since Rosalie was a junior, he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before he graduated. Still, I found myself constantly alone, only really speaking with anyone during school. It was times like these that I looked to Bella for company.

Spending time with Bella was an escape unlike any I had ever known. She was bright and funny, and she did everything with an air of innocence that many teenagers I knew never had. At the same time, she was very mature, sometimes almost extremely mature for her age. Whenever I came over to her house, we mostly sat out on the porch, talking until she had to go in to make dinner for her dad. As it got colder during the season, though, we moved our conversations inside, where we both sat on the large couch in the living room. This was how things were for a few weeks.

A week after Thanksgiving, Alice had decided to, once again, ride home with Rosalie and Jasper. Emmett had finally gotten his Jeep back, and was out doing who knows what with the other guys. I had driven to Bella's house, and instead of having to go ring the doorbell, she was already out on the porch, sitting cross-legged at the top of the stairs.

"Hey," I greeted, climbing up the stairs and plopped down next to her, her assignments in hand.

"Hey," she replied, continuing to stare out at the street. I noticed that her eyes looked far away, like she was deep in thought. I waited for her to speak.

"Sometimes I wish that I could just make it down to the sidewalk, you know?" she said suddenly. "That's all I ask for."

I didn't know what to say. Clearly, she was in a grave mood, and I wasn't sure how to react.

"I mean, I'm so pathetic that I can't even go to school like a normal kid!" she exclaimed, gesturing with her hands. She turned to me and grabbed the homework out of my hands, and when I saw her eyes, tears had gathered at the corners. She stood up suddenly, and turned to go back inside, leaving me shocked on the stairs.

I don't know how long I sat there, staring at the place where Bella had previously occupied. The door creaked open after a while, and Bella quietly stepped out and sat back down. She avoided looking at me.

"I'm sorry," she voiced, taking a deep breath.

"It's alright," I consoled, watching as her teeth chewed at her trembling bottom lip.

"Thank you for bringing my homework."

"No problem."

An uneasy silence followed. Bella continued to sit and stare out at the sidewalk like it was the bane of her existence. In _her_ reality, it probably was. I took this in as I sat next to her, looking down at the withered porch staircase. Staring at the swirling wood grains in the first step unexpectedly gave me an idea, and I turned my eyes back up to Bella, who still hadn't moved.

"Stand up, Bella," I said, jumping up. She looked at me, puzzled.

"What?"

"Stand up." I offered her my hand, which she took gingerly after a second of hesitation. She stood, moving her long hair out of her face with her other hand. I kept her small hand in mine, and turned so that I was facing her fully. We were standing on the top step.

"Just keep looking at me, okay?" I instructed. She only nodded her head, confused. I grabbed her other hand so that I had a firm grasp on both.

"I never did tell you how Emmett messed up his car, did I?" I said offhandedly. Bella grew even more bewildered.

"Um, no?" she responded, her wide eyes searching mine. I kept my expression casual.

"It's really stupid, actually. Emmett being Emmett," I chuckled, slowly taking one of my feet and lowering it down to the next step. I kept my eyes locked on Bella's.

"Really?" Bella asked, a hint of a smile forming on her face. My foot touched the next step, and I started leaning my body toward, pulling Bella's hands along with me.

"Yeah. I was with him, and he was driving with the windows down one day, and he stopped at the Thriftway to get some stuff for Mom," I elaborated, showing no reaction when Bella's body started to follow in the direction her hands were moving. My foot that was still on the top step started to move downward as well.

"He was pulling out of a parking space when a couple of bees flew in," I continued, internally rejoicing when Bella's feet moved to the next step down, just as mine did. I lowered my foot down to the next step. "They flew right up to his face, and he started freaking out."

"Oh, Emmett." Bella shook her head, smiling. My other foot moved down, and so did her feet.

"Yeah, he was screaming like a baby, and he had switched gears at the same time. He punched on the gas and smashed full speed right into the wall of the Thriftway." I kept Bella and I moving slowly, never looking away from her. We had eventually reached the gravel pathway in front of the stairs by the time I got to the part about Emmett bursting into tears at the sight of his crushed baby. I allowed myself to smile widely then, finishing the story. Bella had been laughing, still holding onto my hands. She looked down, chuckling a little, and then suddenly stopped. She stared at the gravel for a few more seconds, and then looked back up at me, eyes wide.

"I didn't even..." she trailed off. I grabbed her hands a little bit tighter and pulled her back up the stairs with me quickly, before she had a chance to start panicking. We were back on the top step, still holding each others hands.

"How did you do that?" she questioned.

"I just distracted you," I said simply. We stared at each other for a beat, and then she looked away, shaking her head.

"I didn't even notice," she whispered, almost in awe.

"Bella, if you'll let me," I entreated, "maybe I can help you."

She said nothing, the warmth of her hands connecting me to her. She glanced out at the street again, and then gazed back at me.

"Can we go slow?" she asked.

"Of course," I said gently. She gave a small nod then.

"Okay," she accepted. I grinned then, gaining just a little bit more ground in understanding Bella. She was trusting me with this, and I knew that I had to tread carefully and slowly.

She smiled meekly back at me. We both looked down at our hands, my big ones still clasping her little ones. I stroked her soft skin, rubbing in circles with the pads of my thumbs. The air was crisp and cold, making the warmth of her body more apparent and strong. I slowly leaned in closer, captivated by the honesty in her eyes and the flush of her cheeks. Tenderly, I kissed her cheek, watching as her eyes fluttered shut. My lips brushed across her skin and rested there for a moment, and then I pulled back, inhaling her sweet scent.

Bella's eyes opened then, and her cheeks grew redder as she looked back at me. We both broke into smiles at the same time then, and I started to turn to leave. I didn't want to speak; it felt like words would break the fragility of the moment we had shared. Instead, I locked eyes with her again, conveying to her that I would definitely see her again soon.

As I reached my car, I saw that Bella was still standing out on her porch, but she wasn't looking at me. I turned to see what she was staring at, and was horrified to see Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley standing on the street corner.

They were both dressed in sweatpants and hoodies; they must have been jogging together. But they were silent, their eyes moving back and forth between me and Bella, scandalous. I gave them a stony half-glare and slipped into my car. Bella shuffled back into the house, and Lauren and Jessica started talking furiously with animated expressions. They gave me another shocked look as I drove by them.

I knew that they had probably seen me kiss Bella, and I could sense that there were repercussions for that. I just didn't know what they were.

* * *

The next day, I was sitting with Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie at our usual lunch table. Jasper was waiting for Alice to get out of her class.

"First time I've seen you without Alice in a while, Jasper," I said, playing with the bottle of juice I had bought. He looked at me sheepishly.

"Yeah, man, I know. I'm sorry about this whole being-at-your-house-constantly-but-never-actually-seeing-you thing, by the way," he stated, shoving a piece of his sandwich into his mouth. "It's not fair to you."

"It's cool, I understand," I replied. I looked up at him with a smirk on my face. "But you owe me."

Jasper was in the middle of asking me what when Alice finally popped up. She bounced into her seat next to Jasper with a salad and a diet soda in her hands. She kissed him on the cheek and snuggled into his side. For the majority of the lunch period, we all mostly just made small talk and ate, not really paying attention to anything in particular. I should have known trouble was coming, though, when Jessica and Lauren slinked up to our table near the end of the period.

"Edward," Lauren's voice grated my ears, "can we ask you something?"

I just nodded once, not trusting myself to speak.

"What were you doing at Chief Swan's place yesterday?" Jessica asked, her voice laced with a hint of excitement at the prospect of fresh gossip. I rolled my eyes.

"I was dropping off some homework for Chief Swan's daughter," I answered shortly, hoping that it was enough. Obviously, though, it wasn't; Lauren actually sat down in the seat next to me while Jessica hovered behind her.

"So do you know why she doesn't go to school?" Lauren demanded, scooting closer to me. I leaned away.

"That's really not anyone's business but her own," I retorted, not making eye contact with her.

"Okay, then answer this: why were you kissing her?"

The entire table snapped their heads to me in shock. I glared at Lauren, shaking my head.

"Again, none of your business," I growled. Lauren pouted.

"Why would anyone even _want _to kiss her? She's definitely not anything to look at," chortled Jessica. She and Lauren snorted together with laughter.

That was it; I was done talking to them. I wasn't going to sit here and listen to these two air-headed, slutty bimbos trash-talk Bella. I stood up so quickly that I knocked my chair over, startling them. I gave them the coldest, most menacing glare that I could, and turned to walk away. I could hear Alice behind me talking to them.

"You two are real bitches, you know that?" I heard her say. I slammed through the cafeteria doors and went out to my car, leaning against the side and taking deep breaths.

They just didn't understand. Bella was beautiful, inside and out, and she couldn't help who she was. I wouldn't have her any other way, and simple girls like Lauren and Jessica would never get that.

A few minutes passed, and then I could hear multiple footsteps approaching me.

"They're both skanks. Don't listen to them," Alice chirped, coming to stand next to me. Jasper followed behind her.

"Did you really kiss her? I mean, I didn't even know you had a thing for her," he asked, putting an arm around Alice. Emmett came bounding up with Rosalie.

"Yeah, did you? I mean, come on, Edward. It is _you _we're talking about," Emmett guffawed. Rosalie smacked him on the chest, rolling her eyes.

"I kissed her on the cheek," I explained, not really looking at any of them. Alice squealed.

"Aw, Edward! That's so sweet!" she cooed. I sighed, not really wanting to get into this right now.

"So you and Bella are basically dating now, right? You're her boyfriend?" Rosalie interjected, bored.

"No! I'm not her boyfriend, at least I don't think so. Well, I mean...I don't know," I responded, meeting Rosalie's crystal blue eyes. She stared at me skeptically.

"Okay, so you constantly go over to her place and hang out with her, _and_ you kiss her, and you 'don't know' if you're her boyfriend," she said, arching one eyebrow. I just stared back at her helplessly.

"Alright. Whatever," she shrugged. She turned to go back into school, Emmett trailing behind her.

"Rose makes a good point," Alice quipped. I looked at her, confused.

"Which is?"

"You need to figure out where you and Bella stand, Edward," she elaborated.

"I don't want to pressure her into anything she doesn't want," I confessed, sticking my hands into my pockets. Alice simply smiled at me.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," Alice winked, and before I could ask her what she meant, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.

As I walked to my next class, I decided to forget the whole lunch incident and focus on getting through the day. After all, I was going to see Bella again after school, and that was the only thing that mattered to me.

* * *

**BPOV:**

A week after Edward first helped me, I was sitting in the living room, waiting for him at the usual time. He had taken over homework duty from Alice; everyday after school he would give me my assignments and then he would stay over for a little while. Sometimes, we would practice going down the porch stairs, something that quickly became one of my goals.

The first time that Edward had guided me down the stairs, I was so mesmerized by the sound of his voice that my brain only barely registered that we were moving. I was looking into his eyes, watching they way they moved as he talked. His voice was so alluring, so incredibly irresistible that I let him talk without too many interruptions. It was him that had kept me from freaking out.

Of course, that day only got more shocking when Edward leaned in and kissed me. I was thrilled and panicked and flustered all at the same time. He was so gentle with me that it almost brought me to the point of tears. We never talked about the kiss, but I could always see a flash of something in his eyes whenever I caught him staring at me.

The next few times that Edward tried to help me were met with mixed results. It was harder to convince my body to take steps forward now that I was aware of what Edward was actually doing. Sometimes, he was able to coax me out onto the last step before the pathway; other times, my body refused to budge from the top step. Edward went slowly, just as he promised, but I would still get frustrated with myself. I would feel hopeless and pathetic and burning tears would roll down my face, but Edward was as patient as ever. He would wipe the tears away, telling me that there were many more days, and therefore, many more chances to try. His reassurances made my constant failures a bit easier to accept.

Today was Friday. I kept peeking out the window, waiting for that familiar silver Volvo to pull up. I was trying to multitask; there was dinner in the oven, so I was constantly moving back and forth between the front room and the kitchen. I was in the kitchen checking on the chicken pot pie that was cooking in the oven when I finally heard the doorbell ring. I dashed to the door and threw it open eagerly.

To my surprise, there was no one there. I stood in the doorway for a second, confused. "Edward?" I called out, wondering if he was just hiding. There was silence. "Edward?" I called again, stepping out into the porch.

Before I could even register what was going on, I was suddenly hit in the face and drenched with ice-cold liquid. I spluttered and spit, the cold running down my body. I blinked furiously, trying to orient myself. A flash of light blinded me, making me see spots.

"That's what she gets!" a whiny, loud voice cackled. Looking around, I finally saw that there were two girls standing on the porch, one with a camera and the other with a large bowl that was dripping with water.

"Yeah, Edward's yours. You hear that, Swan? No one wants you." The girl with the bowl sneered at me, her curly brown hair falling to her shoulders. The other girl with the camera, a blonde, laughed obnoxiously.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you better learn this right now. Edward is MINE. He deserves someone pretty, someone normal. He deserves someone who can actually leave the house, unlike _you,_" the blonde spat.

I could feel the tears well up and my cheeks grow red in embarrassment. I was still dripping wet and freezing, the wintry air blowing across the porch. My breathing became ragged, and my heart seemed to break into a thousand pieces. They were right; Edward couldn't possibly be with someone like me. I wasn't good enough for him, or anyone really. I shouldn't have deluded myself into thinking I even had a chance.

"What the HELL is going on?" a harsh, velvet voice bellowed, interrupting the giggling and snorting coming from the two girls. We all turned towards the gravel pathway, finding Edward standing there. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and his chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing.

"Edward, what are you doing here? I thought you were getting ready for the Hale's party tonight," the blonde smiled, slipping the camera into the pocket of her jeans.

"What did you do?" he asked viciously, spotting me standing and shivering in front of the doorway. He jumped up the porch stairs and stopped in front of me. His eyes scanned over me, then the girl with the bowl, and then finally, the blonde, whose smile dropped when she saw his eyes. They were dark and cruel, sharp emeralds that cut could through stone.

"W-we just wanted to let her know, she's nothing! You can stop wasting time with her," the blonde stuttered, her green eyes growing wide with fear.

"What did I tell you before? I DON'T LIKE YOU! You're a shallow bitch that doesn't think of anyone but herself!" Edward yelled at her. The other girl stepped closer to him.

"Edward, come on now. We're just trying to help you out and-"

"No! Jessica, you are just as bad as Lauren is! Stay away from me and leave me alone!" Edward shouted, cutting off the brown haired girl. He stepped closer to me and turned around to face them.

"Leave. NOW." His growl made the two girls jump back to the edge of the porch. The blonde, Lauren I think, spoke up.

"Edward, I don't get it. What's so special about her?" she asked frantically. Edward took a loud step forward, making her jump.

"Leave," he ground out. They finally scampered down the stairs and nearly ran down the street, not looking back.

It was a few seconds before Edward turned back around to look at me. His eyes softened and were filled with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. I just nodded.

"Let's get you inside," he said, and he guided me back into the house. I numbly walked into the living room and sat on the couch, shaking. Edward went up the stairs for a moment, and then came back with a towel for me. He gently wrapped it around my shoulders and sat next to me.

"I'm sorry about them, they're always annoying the crap out of me," he stated, his voice only containing a hint of the anger he had possessed before. "I won't let them bother you again."

I rubbed the towel around my shoulders, starting to slowly warm up. I wiped the moisture from my neck and face. Edward didn't have to apologize for anything. Those girls were only speaking the truth. I knew then that I had to stop whatever was going on between us and end this silly fantasy that I had been living out.

"Edward, it's okay," I voiced, my voice raspy.

"No, it's not. No one should be treated like that," he insisted. "Especially not you."

"But that's my point, Edward." I stood up and looked down at him, pulling the towel tighter around me. "I'm not like other people; I can't just be normal. I can't leave and go outside and interact with other people. I'm a freak, a shut-in. No one should have to deal with all the burdens that come with me. _You _shouldn't have to deal with me."

"That's not true, Bella! You're not a burden! Don't listen to what Jessica and Lauren say. You're a wonderful person and I really like spending time with you. I _want _to spend time with you," Edward protested. I only shook my head.

"You couldn't," I said softly. "I'm messed up." Why couldn't he see that?

"None of that matters to me," Edward answered, standing up. He stopped in front of me, looking me directly in the eyes. He was so close that I could smell his scent and see every crisp line on the planes of his face. "Bella, I really like you. Please believe me when I say that I want to be with you."

I froze, shocked at his words. It was the first time he actually said anything about wanting to be with me on a level bigger than just friendship. I could feel tears gather in the corners of my eyes. He was making this so difficult. But I had to do it; an amazing person like him shouldn't be brought down by someone like me.

"Edward, don't," I whimpered. I looked away from him, anywhere but his honest eyes. "I don't think you should see me anymore."

He didn't say a word, and when I looked back at him his eyes where desolate and heartbroken. "What?" he whispered, his eyes searching mine.

"You should go. Please, don't worry about me. Just...forget all about me," I said, trying to make my voice harder and failing miserably. Edward just stared back at me, dismayed.

"Bella, _please_. I care so much about you," he said, hurt. The pain in his voice knocked against my heart. I only shook my head, knowing that there was no way that I would be able to speak.

"I...If that's what you want," Edward finally replied, his face falling into an expression of such agony that I wanted to throw my arms around him and tell him that I was lying, that I wanted him here, that I truly cared for him, too. He slowly turned and made his way to the door, long and solemn footsteps echoing down the hall. I didn't turn around as I heard the door shut behind me, and it was a few more minutes before I finally collapsed back onto the couch, sobbing.

I cried for all that I had just thrown away: Edward and his compassion, his wonderful siblings and friends, and all the experiences I could have had with them. I cried for all the people who had to deal with me like Charlie and Renee. But most of all, I cried for myself. I cried for who I was and all the things I had to go through even in one simple day.

I knew that I had hurt Edward deeply. But I had to turn him away. After all, I don't think I could have survived it if we had gotten any further and he decided to leave because he got sick of me. It was better that I lose him now rather than later.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, they "broke up" before they even really started anything. But you have to understand, Bella's train of thought almost follows canon Edward's in New Moon. Just like he did, Bella here thinks that she would ruin Edward and that she is not good enough. She figures that taking herself out of the picture now would be better in the long run.**

**Any questions or comments? Leave a review!**


	8. Breakdown

**Again, thanks to everyone for their helpful reviews and comments. And also, thanks for keeping up with this story. I'm glad so many people are truly interested in it, especially when I really doubted myself.**

**Enjoy the next chapter! There is some pretty heavy stuff here.**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: No Twilight for me, Stephenie Meyer owns it all.**

* * *

**EPOV:**

The week that followed was miserable at best. Alice resumed taking Bella her homework, so I never actually saw her. It seemed that Bella was trying to distance herself from Alice as well, because on Monday, Alice was in and out of the house within five minutes compared to the usual couple of hours we would spend there before. Alice had climbed back into the Volvo, a somber look upon her face as she held Bella's completed homework in her lap. I tried to apologize - for what, I didn't know - but Alice merely shook it off. "She's just having a bad day," she had said.

Alice still didn't know what happened. So when Bella gave the same reaction the next day, Alice got worried. As this pattern continued, Alice got more and more discouraged after leaving Bella's. I kept silent, knowing that soon I would have to tell Alice about the whole thing.

On Friday, school was, well, school. I went to each class solemnly, trying to concentrate on the work that I had neglected recently. I was doing a Biology assignment in the cafeteria during lunch when I saw that Lauren and Jessica had stopped several feet from our table. Jasper and Alice were in their own little world, and Emmett and Rosalie were staring at the two girls with confusion. I noticed that Lauren and Jessica looked unsure, and they seemed like they wanted to come over to talk to me. As Lauren took a step forward, I locked eyes with her and threw her the nastiest look I could. I was warning her. _Talk to me, and you're dead._

I was not used to feeling this angry about anything. But what they did was unforgivable, and if they thought that I would all of sudden change my mind and hang out with them, they had another thing coming. Lauren stopped moving, looking surprised and a little scared. Finally, with a huff and a glare that didn't look even close to threatening, Lauren turned on her heel and walked in the other direction, tugging Jessica with her. I looked back down at my homework, ignoring the curious looks from Emmett and Rosalie.

The rest of the day passed by blankly. I drove Alice to Bella's house so she could drop off her homework, and then I dropped Alice off at Jasper's. He invited me to come in, but I really just wanted to be alone, even if Jasper and I haven't actually hung out in several weeks. I left, telling him that I would just text him or something.

When I got back home, I slowly made my way up the stairs to my room. My mother called for me, asking about dinner and I only gave her a quiet, mumbled response. Her silence let me know that she was concerned, but she never came upstairs to check on me, and for that I was thankful.

I fell onto my bed, looking up at the ceiling. I ran my hands through my messy hair, tangling the strands painfully. Everything with Bella had gone terribly wrong. Lauren and Jessica were horrible, selfish bitches who just _had _to ruin everything.

When I had pulled up to Bella's house that day, I knew there was something wrong when I saw the two of them standing on her porch, our sacred spot. But what really tore at me was Bella herself. She was dripping wet with tears in her eyes, shivering with a look on her face that was absolutely devastated and broken. When her defeated eyes met mine, I knew then that everything with those girls had to stop.

But Bella believed them. She believed every vile word they said. I tried to convince her that she was beautiful, amazing, everything that those girls weren't. She was everything that I needed. When she asked me to leave, an ache, so raw in its power, punched its way through my chest. I was sure that she wasn't rejecting me; it seemed that she was doing this to herself. But knowing this didn't make the pain any easier.

I had to do something. But, at the same time, I didn't want to push Bella in her already fragile state. I was so frustrated with everything, it felt like I was being crushed with the weight of all the stress. I lay there on my bed, clenching and unclenching my fists in the sheets, trying to release this tightening tension in my chest. As the afternoon grew later, I heard Alice and Emmett eventually come home. A petite knock sounded from my bedroom door. After a few seconds, I heard the door creak open.

"Edward? What's wrong? Mom said that you seemed upset," Alice spoke softly. I rolled over onto my side so I wouldn't have to look at her as she entered my room and shut the door behind her.

"It's Bella," I said brokenly. I could feel my mattress sink down as Alice sat next to me.

"What happened?" she questioned worriedly. I sighed, not wanting to have to relive that afternoon. But I also knew that Alice was a pusher, and she wouldn't rest until she got what she wanted.

I recounted everything, as much as I could. I told Alice about how broken Bella looked, and how I had snapped at Lauren and Jessica, and how Bella closed herself off to me, even though she was clearly in pain. I spoke of my pleading, and of how Bella turned me away. Alice said nothing, even long after I stopped talking. I actually thought she left the room, but then her voice, sad but calm, came from beside me.

"She really does care for you, Edward." I rolled over to look at her.

"She doesn't need to do this to herself, Alice! I wish I could make her see, she doesn't need to listen to those idiots," I ground out.

"But Edward, think about it from her perspective. She's not able go out normally, and all she has ever had is herself to rely on. She probably didn't have high self-esteem to begin with. I mean, come on, she's a girl," Alice shrugged her shoulders, pointing to herself, "we pretty much all hate ourselves from the start. But it's knowing that people care about you and knowing that you have purpose that takes that feeling away."

Alice's words were met with my awed silence. I knew that Alice was a smart, considerate person, but never before had it really shown itself in its entirety. She smiled at me serenely.

"A friend can only do so much. But you, Edward, _you _have the power to do more. Show her that you care for her. Show her that she has purpose."

* * *

The next day, I was up bright and early. I didn't really get that much sleep, but that's what happens when you spend all night trying to think of ways to get through to a girl you care about. I showered and changed into a fresh shirt and jeans, and then I made my way downstairs, stopping only to grab an apple and my car keys.

My mission for today was to find a way for Bella to see that I cared for her, no matter what anyone else says. My first thought was to bring her flowers, so I headed for the nearest florist, which was located in Port Angeles, of course. Pulling up to the tiny little flower shop, I popped into the store right as it opened.

I looked at all the different bouquets, blossoms of brilliant colors grouped together in appealing displays. I passed the lilies and the freesia, the violets and the sunflowers, each grouping beautiful but not quite what I wanted. I walked to the back of the shop, where roses lined every shelf. A single blood red bunch caught my eye. I walked over to it, studying the dark, soft petals. Each rose was a perfect bud, fragrant and saturated with color. Taking hold of the fresh bunch, I brought it to the counter to pay for it, careful not to mess up any of the petals.

The rest of the day I drove around town, trying to find some kind of inspiration for a gift for Bella. As noon peaked, I stopped to get myself some food. I walked into a store to grab a sandwich and ate it as I browsed other stores down the block. I finally stopped in front of the entrance to a small trinkets shop. Finishing off the rest of my sandwich, I pushed in the door and stepped inside, curious.

The shop was very small and cluttered. There tons of random objects everywhere; perfect quirky gifts and toys. I looked into a large jewelry display, where a flash of silver caught my eye.

Sitting on a tiny display pedestal was a silver chain link bracelet. The chain wasn't too thick and connected in swift loops. Attached to it was a delicate glass heart charm, swirled with dark blue, my favorite color on Bella. It was simple, but classy. It was perfect. I had the cashier wrap it up and paid for it all within a few minutes.

The afternoon faded as I made my way back to Forks, throwing rainbows of color across the sky. I kept glancing at the small box and the bouquet of roses, still in water, sitting in the passenger seat next to me, hoping that I would be able to get the chance to give them to Bella.

Entering the familiar setting of the sleepy little town, I drove straight to Bella's house, deciding not to delay this anymore. I pulled up to the curb and parked, shutting the car off and taking a deep breath before finally pushing open my door. I grabbed the roses out of the water but left the box, and walked up to her front door, ringing the doorbell quickly. It seemed a like a lifetime had passed before the door moved open a couple of inches, and I could only see through a tiny sliver of darkness.

"What do you want?" Bella's voice rasped out. I cleared my throat.

"Bella, can we talk? Please?" I pleaded, a slight hint of the desperation I had been feeling slipping through my voice. There was silence for another minute, and then the door finally opened wider.

Bella stood there, tired and defeated. She was wearing black sweats and a band t-shirt, and her hair was around her face in messy waves. Her eyes were empty and slightly pink, as if she had been crying. She stood with an air of helplessness, and it took a lot for me to just stand there and not sweep her into my arms. She looked at the roses I was holding. I extended them out to her.

"For you," I said, watching nervously as she took the bouquet from me. Her eyebrows raised a little.

"Thank you," she responded quietly. "They're beautiful."

"_You _are beautiful," I spoke out, staring at her intently. She scoffed then, and pushed her way past me to walk out onto the porch. She leaned against the railing, looking out at the street.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"I'm here because I care about you very much, Bella. I know that you don't think very much of yourself, but you're wrong. You don't need to be like those other girls. I don't want that. I want _you,_" I insisted, coming to stand next to her. She didn't look at me, but continued speaking.

"That's hard for me to believe," she replied, shaking her head slightly. A pang of hurt hit me in the chest.

"Why?" I whispered. She suddenly slunk down, seating herself near the top step of the porch. She placed the roses into her lap, still not looking at me.

"I wasn't always like this," she explained, and I quickly sat down next to her. She had a very far away look on her face. I could tell that she was about to tell me something major, so I kept quiet, watching her face.

* * *

**BPOV:**

Never before had I talked to anyone about this. Edward sat there in front of me, but I avoided meeting his gaze. I took a deep breath and blew it out, trying to clear my head and focus on the memories. I decided to begin with the start of the whole ordeal.

"My mother married this guy, Phil, two years ago. They were so happy together. I was happy for them. Really," I began. "Their wedding was pretty modest; they did all they could with the combined salaries of a kindergarten teacher and a minor league baseball player. I was the maid of honor, and it fit because my mother was my best friend. I remember that I had to help her calm down right before the ceremony, she was going into hysterics." I faintly smiled as I remembered trying to soothe Renee without ruining her wedding dress.

"The reception had just started, and they were having their first dance. I mostly just stood by and talked to all my mother's friends. Eventually, the food was served and it was time for the toasts. I was planning on just sitting there and watching, but then one of my relatives insisted that I get up and make a speech in front of everyone. I tried to say no, but everyone kept at it, and eventually I was forced up there in front of the entire wedding party.

"I completely froze up; I could see that everyone was looking at me and waiting, but I couldn't say a word. I started shaking and I had trouble breathing. It was the worst kind of stage fright," I could see all the faces in front of me, feel the heat of the lights, and hear the near-silence of the room. "I started to cry; it was at that point that they finally took pity on me and tried to get me off the platform. But I couldn't move. Several of the men had to physically yank me away, and when they did it caught me off guard.

"I fell down the stairs leading up to the platform." My face heated up as I felt the embarrassment and the pain all over again. "I wasn't really hurt, just a couple of bruises. But it was humiliating. My mother and Phil had to escort me out of the room, since no one else knew what to do. They didn't understand why I couldn't simply just leave the platform. I couldn't either. I had completely ruined their evening.

"After that, I noticed that it was harder and harder for me to step out in public. I was reluctant to go grocery shopping or anything like that. The little amount of friends that I did have suddenly saw less and less of me as I began to almost hide inside our house. It got so bad that Mom had to take me to the doctor, and then a psychologist. It was then that they diagnosed me with agoraphobia."

I looked up at Edward, and his eyes widened a little, but he kept still and quiet. I took in a shaky breath and continued.

"I mean, I knew that I wasn't the most social person, and had always hated speaking in front of people before. But never had it been that bad. I guess it took one big thing to really trigger it. It was unfortunate that it had to be on a day that belonged to my mother. I completely isolated myself after that. But there was one friend of mine who still came to see me even when the others gave up. Jacob," I kept my head down, "visited me whenever he could. After some time, he became my first boyfriend. It was alright for a while; he would come over so we could spend time together. But I could tell that my whole situation was wearing on him. It was wearing on Mom and Phil, too. Phil had to travel a lot, and Mom always missed him while she stayed behind to take care of me. I was this huge burden to everyone.

"One day Jake wanted to take me out on a date. He wanted to go to this restaurant with me. I really wanted to, but I just couldn't. I told him this, thinking he would understand. But he didn't. 'I'm tired of dealing with you, Bella! You're nothing but a waste of my time,' he told me." My eyes starting tearing up at the memory of his harsh words. "'I'm done dealing with you. I've spent too much time trying to stop your weird behavior, and I'm sick of it! No one will ever want you if you keep acting like this,' he said, and he left me. He just stopped all contact with me. He was the last friend that I had, and then he was gone. A few months later, I finally told my mother that I wanted to move here."

I finished talking, looking down at the wood planks that made up the porch floor. We both just sat there, listening to the stray sounds of the neighborhood. I wondered if Edward was reconsidering his decision to come talk to me. Now that he knew my story, he was probably contemplating never talking to me again. I sighed, trying to prepare myself for the onslaught of heartache that would undoubtedly come when he left.

"I understand if you don't want to be around me anymore. It's perfectly reasonable," I mumbled. It felt like the silence between us had shifted into something more tense. I looked over at Edward to see what changed.

He was gazing back at me, disbelief painted all over his beautiful face. His mouth opened once to say something, but then closed again. He looked away and then looked back, this time his eyes were blazing, passionate.

"Isabella Swan, listen to me. I don't care about all that, I don't care what anyone else says. I want you for who you are, and I wouldn't have you any other way."

I stared back at him, surprised at how forward he was being. He reached forward and took one of my hands in his.

"Please Bella, don't close yourself off to me. I...need you," he trailed off in a whisper.

A gasp left my lips as he wrapped his fingers around my hand. My heart was hopeful, despite the warnings and the distance I'd tried to force on myself before. Edward's words were genuine; I could tell by the way his eyes bore through mine and his overall tired, but desperate, appearance. I wanted so badly to believe him, and I almost did, but I needed absolute reassurance.

"Do you?" I asked him quietly.

"Yes," he asserted, squeezing my hand gently. "I love being with you, Bella. I'm always thinking about you, and I love spending time with you."

He gazed at me insistently, his brow furrowing into a small crease on his forehead. Then suddenly, he straightened up.

"Bella, I have something for you, I'll be right back." He let go of my hand and stood up. He jumped down the stairs and ran back to his car. I watched him open the passenger door and close it again, and when he returned to sit in his spot he was holding a small cream colored box in his hands.

"This is for you," he said, and handed me the box. I looked at it, tracing my finger over the little bow that adorned the top. Slipping the lid off, there was a smaller black velvet case on the inside. I pulled it out and opened it slowly, unsure.

Nestled in the case was a delicate little silver bracelet. There was a blue heart charm hanging from it that glittered in the dimming light of the early evening. It was so pretty, so simple, and I watched in silence as Edward took it from my hands and pulled the bracelet out. He unclasped it and held it out for my wrist. I lifted my hand up and let him slip it around my wrist, hearing the small clink the clasp made as he shut it. I rose my hand so that my wrist was in front of my face. The heart sparkled against my skin, the silver bright and defined over the paleness of my hand.

I looked back at him, feeling pure and utter adoration. I was overwhelmed by this feeling; never before had I cared for someone this much. At the same time, I felt my usual, bitter and cynical self warning me that this could never happen, that I could never have this. Edward smiled at me then, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt like I was wanted, too. I smiled timidly back, shoving that warning into the back of my subconscious. _Screw the "nevers," _I thought fiercely.

"I want to believe you, Edward. I want to try," I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. His smile grew wider.

"That's good enough for me," he declared, victory shimmering in his deep green eyes.

He was really close to me, so close that our legs were touching. A single tear slipped out as I blinked, and he reached over to softly wipe it away. His large hand lingered over my cheek, and then slowly cupped it. I leaned into his touch, feeling the warmth of his skin. His thumb ran over my cheek gently. I looked straight into his eyes, warm and caring and perfect. He leaned in closer then, his eyes flickering to my lips. My heartbeat broke into a run as he moved closer and closer until he finally closed the distance between us, pressing his full lips to mine.

This kiss was so gentle, and yet so intense that it felt like I was drowning in him. He took my top lip between his, nipping and pressing. I did the same with his bottom lip, shaping my mouth around his. My hands reached into his bronze locks, smoothing and tugging. I kissed him back fervently, inhaling his scent and gasping when I felt his tongue trace the line of my lips. I parted my lips a little, allowing his tongue to caress mine. It was all so sweet, I felt more tears flood my closed eyes; tears of joy and passion and surrender.

We reluctantly pulled back for air, and Edward rested his forehead on mine. His hands ran over my arms up and down. We both sighed with contentment, focusing only on each other.

"Thank you," I murmured, and he moved to wrap me in his arms. I leaned on him as he pressed a kiss to my temple.

"I'd do anything for you, Bella," he replied simply. We sat there on the porch, watching as the sky grew darker and darker. I played with the petals of the perfectly shaped roses in my lap as Edward kept me warm, burying his face into my hair. We didn't say anything to each other; everything was conveyed through touches and glances.

Eventually, though, we had to get up. Charlie would be home soon, and I wasn't sure how he felt about me being home alone with a boy. Edward stood first, and extended his hand to help me up. I clumsily straightened up and stood next to him, clutching the roses to my chest. We faced each other on the top step, hesitant to say goodbye. I wrapped myself in his arms once more, and looked up into his gorgeous face. He looked exhausted but gloriously happy, and our lips met once more, just as soft and saccharine as before. He pulled away from me, turning to go to his car.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella," he called, smiling. I nodded and watched him as he slid into his car and drove off, the bright red tail lights pulsing down the street. I looked down at the bracelet that now decorated my wrist. The blue heart hung from the chain, spinning and twirling, just as my heart felt at that moment. Shaking my head to myself, I inhaled the scent of the roses, the petals tickling my nose, and turned to go inside.

All I knew was that I had never been more excited for a Sunday morning in my entire life.

* * *

**A/N: ****I'm trying to put up a link on my profile of the bracelet so you guys can see it, but it doesn't seem to work. Can anyone help me with that?**

**It feels like with every chapter my writing is improving. Am I improving? Let me know!**


	9. Accelerate

**Sorry this chapter was kind of late, a billion different things all came up this weekend, and then it was the Super Bowl, and...yeah. So please forgive any errors or mistakes since I worked really fast to get this chapter out to you guys.**

**So I'm starting to see the end of this story come up pretty soon, which means only a few chapters left. Unless I can think of some more creative places to go within the plot, the end is near (I say that both sadly and happily, ha).**

**I still haven't figured out the link for the bracelet yet, but I really want you guys to see what it looks like, so I'll keep trying!**

**Thanks!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

**EPOV:**

"Trapped in a room with Jasper and Alice, or trapped in a room with Emmett and Rosalie?"

"Oh God, neither really. But if, and only _if _I had to choose...definitely Jasper and Alice."

I shuddered at the thought of being forced to stay with either couple for any extended amount of time. I was sitting with Bella in her living room Sunday during the later part of the morning. Chief Swan had gone out fishing, so I didn't have to worry about him lurking during our time together. Bella was cradled in my arms as we were cuddled up on the couch, watching random cartoons on tv. She nuzzled her head against my chest.

"Well...from what I've seen, I think I'd pick them too," she said, chuckling. She turned a little so that she could look at me. "Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering...well, if you maybe wanted to try going down the stairs again with me," she asked meekly.

"Do you want to?" I asked back. She gave a little nod. "Wanna try right now?" She nodded again, and we both slowly stood up and headed for the front door. Bella left the door open as we walked out to the porch. We started out at the top of the stairs, just like before, and I tried as best I could to distract Bella from anything other than me. We had actually made it to the second to last step before the pathway before Bella finally looked up at me with that look of discomfort that indicated that she was done. She lead me back inside, and I leaned in to kiss her gently on the cheek to reassure her. She smiled at me and turned to go the kitchen, stopping only when the phone rang as she passed it.

"Hello?" she answered. Then a small grin crept upon her face, and she looked back at me. "Sure," she replied to the person, and then extended the receiver to me. "It's for you," she said.

I took the receiver, confused. "Hello?" I asked. An all too familiar voice screeched in my ear.

"Edward! Why didn't I get any details about last night?! You come home with a huge shit-eating grin on your face and don't say a word, and then you're out the door after breakfast?" Alice was a mixture of anger and excitement. I laughed then, remembering how I had quickly downed a cup of coffee and grabbed a bagel before leaving the house in a flurry this morning.

"Sorry Alice, I'm kinda busy," I teased. I heard her frustrated growl echo on the line.

"Just tell me this," she sighed, antsy for any kind of information. "Are you and Bella together now? Like, actually _together_?"

I looked over at Bella, who was fussing around in the kitchen as the lunch hour came nearer. She wasn't looking at me, but I could see that her overall expression was happy and lighthearted. She moved with a kind of lightness that wasn't present before. It made me happy to see her at such peace.

"Yes," I declared into the phone, feeling as if I had won a major victory. Alice cheered in my ear, making me hold the receiver away.

"Edward, this is wonderful! I knew you could get through to her!" she squealed. I rolled my eyes at Bella, who was watching me curiously. She giggled silently and turned back to the kitchen.

"Now, when can I come and see you two? Or, maybe we could have a double date at Bella's!That would be so fun!" I could imagine Alice's eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Calm down, Alice. I really just want to take this slowly," I cautioned.

"Okay, but what about Christmas? You've got to get her an amazing gift."

Christmas? I pulled out my cell phone and checked the calender. Was it really only a week and a half until then? I really had lost track of all time, and I know that it was mostly due to Bella. I realized then that I didn't even notice all the Christmas shopping displays and decorations when I was out looking for Bella's gift yesterday. Now that I recalled, however, there were bright colors, overdecorated Christmas trees, and cheery holiday music in every store that I had walked in.

"I have to think about it," I implored, already trying to come up with ideas.

"Can I talk to Bella now?" Alice quipped. I walked over to Bella and handed her the phone. They spoke for a few more minutes, and then Bella finally hung up.

"Ready for lunch?" she asked, and I nodded back. I followed her into the kitchen where she had made us grilled cheese sandwiches. We sat at the large dining table together and began to eat. I quickly discovered then that Bella was an awesome cook.

"This is amazing," I complimented, and Bella blushed.

"It's just grilled cheese, Edward," she said, shaking her head a little. I only smiled back, loving the way her cheeks had flushed in embarrassment.

"So Alice was thinking about maybe having a double date with us and her and Jasper sometime," I mentioned, taking in another bite of the sandwich. "Would you be okay with that?"

"Yes, that would be fun," she replied, and I could see that she was being honest. We were both staring at each other, goofy grins plastered on our faces. It was so peculiar; only one day ago I was worried that I would never be able to see Bella, and now it felt like we had ages to spend time together.

This was how things were for a while. The days leading up to Christmas were spent with Bella since school was on break. Sometimes it was just me and her, and sometimes Alice would come and bring Jasper along. Occasionally, Rosalie and Emmett would stop by when they weren't locked away in Rosalie's room at the Hale's place. No one minded that we didn't actually go anywhere, and I could tell that Bella was grateful for this.

We practiced going down the stairs a few more times, but since it was the dead of winter it was hard to get motivated to go outside in the freezing cold.

Alice and Bella had progressed to being best friends. Bella was the quiet, gentle rain to Alice's raging thunder and lightning. Their contrasts only helped them get closer. I could see that Alice was trying to help Bella try to be more comfortable within her own skin.

Jasper was also starting to become fast friends with Bella. They would discuss deep things; philosophy, books, ideas of all kinds. She brought out in him a side that I had never seen before. Sometimes Jasper would even refuse to leave until he had finished explaining something to Bella, annoying both Alice and myself. Bella loved the conversations, though. She wanted any chance to talk people, even though she was still very shy.

Emmett liked being around Bella, too. He constantly teased her, which made her embarrassed and me pissed off. But it was all in good fun, and Emmett treated her as he treated Alice: like a little sister. His silly and sometimes slightly dumb nature always cheered Bella up whenever she was feeling sad. Rosalie, however, was pretty much indifferent. She didn't hate Bella, but they weren't besties either. She instead stood by quietly while we all interacted with Bella, sometimes watching with an expression of curiosity on her angelic face.

On Christmas Eve, my family engaged in our usual yearly tradition. My mother would bake tons of different kinds of desserts; lemon bars, sugar cookies, brownies, fudge, and more would cover every surface in the kitchen and dining room. Then we would package everything and make the rounds to our neighbors, giving them the gift of my mother's home cooking. This year we all piled into my father's Mercedes (an uncomfortable feat as Emmett took up half the backseat) with the treats and visited all of the family friends.

As we pulled up to Bella's, I got my present for her ready in my coat pocket. I didn't want Alice's help for this; I knew that whatever she came up with would be flashy and expensive, things I knew Bella would not appreciate. Although, if Bella was that kind of girl, I would gladly buy her anything she wanted. Our family was very well off, what with my father's large doctor's salary and the extra income that came from my mother's part-time interior design business. But I had a feeling that Bella would be unhappy if I spent any large sum of money on her, so I looked for other alternatives.

We made our way up to the front door, which had a medium-sized wreath tacked hastily onto the front. We were greeted by Chief Swan himself, who led everyone into the living room. Emmett and Alice helped my mother carry in tins of cookies to the kitchen. Bella was standing in the middle of the living room, and her whole face brightened when she saw me. She was wearing a lavender sweater and blue jeans, and as she raised her arms to embrace me I saw that the bracelet that I had given her was draped delicately over her small wrist.

We hugged for a few seconds, and then stepped back, listening as my family made small talk with Chief Swan.

"Carlisle, Esme, how are you two? Been a while since I've seen you," Chief Swan said cheerily.

"Oh, just fine, Charlie. Is this your lovely daughter? The kids have said nothing but good things about her," my mother exclaimed, moving toward us. She extended her hand to Bella. "I'm Esme Cullen."

"Hello," Bella greeted shyly, taking my mother's hand. "I'm Bella. Nice to meet you."

"And I'm Dr. Cullen, but please call me Carlisle," my father said, also shaking Bella's hand. She smiled timidly at the two of them. My mother was staring at me though, and she had a knowing look in her eyes. She beamed at me, seeming to already know the connection I had with Bella.

"So Bella, Edward seems to be quite taken with you," my mother said coyly. Bella blushed and I could feel my face heat up. My father simply laughed and Chief Swan's eyebrows raised so high it seemed like his eyes grew twice their size.

"Oh really? When did this all happen, Bells?" he was asking her but he was looking at me. Bella looked very uncomfortable with all the attention, so I cleared my throat and helped her out.

"We met through Alice, sir," I responded, trying to sound very polite. Chief Swan nodded, eyeing me suspiciously. My parents, however, were oblivious to his scrutiny.

"It's very kind of Alice to help drop off homework," my father placed his arm around my mother. "It seems like the two of them are really great friends."

"Oh yes, Bella and I have loads of fun," Alice popped into the conversation, nearly skipping to my side. "But you know, Chief Swan, you have to try the cookies we made this year. They're absolutely amazing!"

Chief Swan, who couldn't resist Alice's bubbly charm and the thought of fresh-baked cookies, only nodded again and started to follow my parents into the kitchen, never taking his eyes off of Bella and I until he had rounded the corner. Alice turned to us and smiled.

"Thanks," I said, glad that she was there to stop any further questioning from Chief Swan.

"No problem, I could tell he was headed in that direction," Alice replied. She winked at the two of us and skipped off back into the kitchen. Bella sighed next to me and I took her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together.

"Once you guys leave, I'll be facing the Spanish Inquisition," she groaned.

"I'm sorry about that. I guess I should have told my mom to be more subtle," I walked her over to the couch, where we both plopped down.

"Your mother is very kind," Bella remarked. "I like her. You're very lucky."

"I am," I agreed, rubbing circles into Bella's hand with my thumb. She leaned her head on my shoulder, and we listened to the casual chatter between our parents. Emmett came bounding into the room then, two cookies enclosed in his meaty hand.

"Emmett, we have plenty of food at home. You don't need to eat stuff from the neighbors," I teased. He rolled his eyes at me and took a large bite.

"Did you tell Bella about our trip yet?" he asked, crumbs flying out of his mouth.

"Oh, I almost forgot," I said, amazed that I hadn't said anything about it yet. Bella looked at me questioningly.

"Every year during the second part of the holiday break our family goes up to visit relatives in Alaska," I explained. We stayed with our Aunt Carmen and Uncle Eleazar and our cousins Kate, Irina, and Tanya. Normally I liked spending time with them, but for the past couple of years Tanya kept trying to set me up with some of her friends, and it was starting to get annoying. "We'll be leaving right after Christmas, and we'll be back after New Year's."

"Oh," Bella breathed quietly. I could tell that she felt the same sadness that I felt at the thought of being away from her for any period of time.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I tried to get out of it, but it's like a family tradition," I said apologetically.

"Yeah, he cried," Emmett smirked, both cookies gone. He waggled his eyebrows at Bella, and she giggled. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I did not," I countered, and Bella looked at me once again. "I promise, I'll be back before you know it."

"Okay," she resigned. Emmett stomped over to us and sat down heavily next to Bella. He wrapped his large arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Bella," he smiled. "I'll keep Edward in line."

I reached over with my free hand to smack him in the face, and Bella laughed once more. Emmett jumped up and tried to kick me in the shin, only to lose his balance and fall, making a loud boom echo across the room. Bella and I laughed heartily, and Emmett stood back up, flipped me off, and dashed into the kitchen, starting to explain what had caused the loud sound.

Shaking my head, I turned back to Bella. "Would you like your Christmas present now?"

"Edward, you didn't have to get me anything," Bella responded. "You don't have to spend any money on me."

"I promise, I didn't spend much at all." I stood up so I could reach into my coat pocket. I pulled out her gift, clumsily wrapped in Christmas themed wrapping paper, and handed it over to her. "I hope you like it."

* * *

**BPOV:**

I was very curious as I took the package from him, smiling slightly at the mess of paper and tape. After getting through it, I pulled out what appeared to be a small leather-bond journal. I flipped through the pages, expecting them to be blank and fresh. Instead, they were worn and covered with ink, words and phrases decorating each page. I looked up at him, astounded.

"I don't remember if I told you or not, but I play piano," Edward said, his hand running through his hair. "That was sort of a songwriting book to me. I can't sing worth crap," he laughed, "but I would still come up with lyrics for a lot of the songs that I wrote. I haven't been playing much lately, but when I did before a lot of the songs were about you." His voice was tender, and his eyes were a light shining green. "They're not finished or anything, but I thought you'd like them."

My eyes had filled with tears, and as I looked back down at the book, I started to pay more attention to the words written there. One phrase stood out and curled up the side of the page in thin lettering: _When I find you, I find me._

"Thank you," my voice broke, and I stood up to embrace him. I breathed in his honey and vanilla scent, feeling him close his arms around me and nuzzle his head into the crook of my neck.

"I'm glad you like it," he said gently, and he pulled back to look at me. He leaned in and pressed his lips gently to mine for a quick moment. We were both conscious of our parents in the next room.

As we parted, everyone emerged from the kitchen. Charlie looked very pleased; he seemed to have a high respect for Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. Alice bounded out, and grabbed me for a quick hug. Emmett came by and ruffled my hair with his fingers, and everyone waved as they moved through the front door. Edward pecked me on the lips once more and left with a "Merry Christmas," promising to keep in touch while he was gone on his family trip. The door shut, silencing the loud sounds of family and cheer.

The rest of the evening was spent watching holiday movies with Charlie. As I suspected he questioned me about Edward, but he seemed satisfied when I confirmed that Edward was nothing but a gentleman. I took this time to truly enjoy Charlie's company, since it seemed like he didn't really have any for a long time. We laughed at all the classics and downed a few cups of eggnog before finally heading up to bed.

Christmas Day was quiet and peaceful. A light snow had fallen over everything, making the light coming in through the windows extra bright. We exchanged modest gifts and ate as much of all the food that I had prepared as we could. Edward called me during the afternoon, and I realized that I had never gotten him a gift due to the fact that I couldn't go anywhere. He tried to assure me that it was alright, but I still felt really bad, and I vowed to get him a gift when he returned.

Edward and his family left for Alaska the day after Christmas. He promised to call everyday that he was gone, and for that I was grateful. I tried not to voice how desperate I was about being without him, but I think that he could tell that I was trying not to break down and cry. I could sense his reluctance to leave as well, and that made me feel slightly better.

Without any of the Cullens or the Hales here, I soon realized how lonely and solitary my life was before. Sitting in my room reading was what I normally did for fun, but now it seemed like something to distract me from my loneliness. The only part of the day I looked forward to was Edward's phone calls. He would tell me about his day and the crazy things his cousins tried to get him to do. He always sounded relieved whenever I answered the phone, and we would talk for as long as he was able to get away from his family. Usually I could tell when our conversations were over whenever I heard Emmett or Alice teasing Edward in the background.

When I wasn't talking to Edward, I was still connecting to him through his gift. Every single page in the journal was covered with words, and I worked to read them all each day of his absence. There were fragments of phrases and sentences written all over the pages in every direction.

Crawling up one side of a page: _If I don't say this now, I will surely break_.

Stretching across another page: _Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl._

Sometimes there was actual music written in the margins, notes dancing up and down a hastily drawn staff. I would trace every swoop and curve with my fingers, feeling his words as if he had spoken them aloud to me. His journal told me the story of his thoughts, his ideas, and his feelings for me. I felt like I was seeing a special part of Edward that he had never shown anyone else.

I also called Alice; I needed her help in finding a belated Christmas gift for Edward. She was super eager to help me, as Edward apparently forbid her from helping him. I wanted to give him a present that showed him how much I cared for him. We were both coming up empty with ideas, so I tried to sit on my own and think of something.

On New Year's Eve, Charlie left for work, braving the swirling winter storm that had not let up for the past couple of days. He had to get ready for all the alcohol-induced trouble that was bound to occur in town. I mostly kept to the living room, switching back and forth between reading and watching those multiple end of the year countdowns on tv. I was expecting Edward to call during the afternoon, and as the hours passed I started growing more and more anxious as the phone remained silent.

It was late afternoon and I had already starting setting up for dinner, knowing that I needed to make extra for Charlie since I knew he wouldn't be home until late. Then it was fully evening, and the snow fell a little faster against the house as I cooked and glanced repeatedly at the phone. Then it was close to midnight, and I was still up waiting, only barely listening to the New Year's Eve special playing on the tv. As my heart was about to give up hope, the phone finally rang at five minutes to midnight. I lunged for the phone, nearly slipping on the floor as I stopped in the hallway. _I really needed to invest in a cell phone._

"Hello?" I answered.

"Happy New Year, Bella," Edward's voice melted over the phone. "I'm sorry I didn't call earlier, but I wanted to wait until midnight." I sighed in relief.

"Hi Edward, how are things over there?" I asked, trying to get rid of any trace of distress I had earlier.

"Fine, I guess. Emmett somehow snuck up some booze from my uncle's special stash, and now him and my cousins are just the slightest bit tipsy."

"Sounds like fun," I said, smiling to myself. I missed them all so much, it was ridiculous.

"Fun to watch," Edward agreed, "but I really just want to be with you right now."

I shivered at the slightly husky tone his voice had carried. "I wish you were here."

"I know, Bella. But for now, we can ring in the New Year together," he assured, and I turned to look at the clock sitting in the kitchen. It was one minute to midnight. I shook my head in disbelief. Edward was such a romantic. I could hear the countdown start from the tv in the living room.

"Happy New Year," we both said at the same time as the kitchen clock finally struck midnight. I could hear Emmett's booming cheer in the background, and a bunch of girls giggling after that. Edward chuckled and sighed, and I could imagine that he was shaking his head.

"Emmett really needs to stop mixing alcohol and loud noises," Edward said, and I laughed. We talked for a little bit more, but exhaustion finally caught up with me and I eventually bade him goodnight. I fell into bed that night, overcome with the feeling of excitement at a new year with Edward.

The next morning, I was anxious for New Year's Day to be over. The whole day was a blur of cooking, cleaning, and constantly glancing at the clock, wishing for the end of the day. I ignored Charlie's questioning looks every time I hopped into the kitchen to glance at the clock over the stove. I was never this restless before; it was like my body and my mind were already ten minutes ahead of time itself.

I thought that I would feel at least some relief as the day of Edward's return finally came, but I was wrong. Everything seemed to move slower, and I was almost to the point of madness as I waited for Edward's flight to land at one o'clock, just as he said. He promised to come over to my house as soon as he was unpacked. As noon passed, I spent the time rereading Edward's journal, trying to memorize my favorite lines. There was one line that really hit me every time I read it, and no matter how I said it out loud, it had the same power to make me want to cry and laugh joyously at the same time.

Scrawled across the bottom of a page read: _Though love can change the weather, no act of God can pull me away from you._

This line was so emotional, so powerful that I could literally hear Edward speaking the words to me. I knew that I would ask him to eventually. One o'clock had finally arrived, and I decided to give them some time to get home and unpack. I waited to allow them this time, and after about forty-five minutes, I called Edward's cell phone. It rang and rang, the dial tone cutting eventually to his voicemail. I hung up and tried again, hoping that he just didn't hear it.

The phone kept ringing and cutting to voicemail. This was when I got worried. It had been a little over an hour since their flight had landed. _Maybe Edward wants to surprise me or something, _I thought, trying to reassure myself. I took in deep breaths, trying not to panic. I went over to sit in the living room. _Yeah, _I told myself, _he'll probably be on his way soon. It'll be just like New Year's; nothing to worry about._

It was hard to keep telling myself this after three and a half hours had passed. The sun was casting a dull glow through the thick dark clouds in the sky. I had been reduced almost to a strange kind of madness: I was moving back and forth between the phone and the front room, listening for the sound of a car engine. Finally, the sound of a large grumbling car grew louder and louder until it seemed to be right in front of the house. I dashed to the front door and wrenched it open.

Instead of a silver Volvo, a large Jeep truck was parked haphazardly on the curb. I stared, confused, as Alice hopped out of the passenger door. Emmett stepped out from the driver's side. To my disappointment, it was only the two of them. Alice met my gaze first; she looked exhausted, and her normal fresh and put-together appearance was tarnished by the messiness of her hair and her disorganized clothes. I could tell something was wrong.

"Bella," she said quietly, "something's happened."

* * *

**A/N: The songs in order that were mentioned are:**

**~"When You Find Me" by Joshua Radin**

**~"Look After You" by The Fray**

**~"Sweet and Low" by Augustana**

**~"Chances" by Five for Fighting**

**I definitely recommend that you all go listen to these songs, especially within the context of this story. They are all completely amazing and beautiful.**

**Reviews would be lovely!**


	10. Overcome

**Next chapter right here! And, Happy Valentine's Day! This chapter is shorter than usual, but it covers a huge event, so you'll see why. Thanks for all your sweet reviews. Sometimes I'm afraid to read them when other people are around, I don't want to freak them out with my (happy) reaction, lol.**

**Enjoy!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does.**

* * *

**EPOV:**

The flight down from Alaska wasn't too bad; I spent the time coming up with different melodies that I wanted to try out on my piano when we got home, but not before getting a chance to see Bella. I wanted to get to her as soon as I could, and as we all piled into the Mercedes (why we keep filling this tiny car with the whole family, I'll never know) in the airport parking lot, I grew antsy and impatient, watching out the window as we made our way to Forks.

Our trip was fun; I got to see my extended family only really once a year, unless they decided to come down for a visit during the rest of the year. As usual, Tanya tried to introduce me to one of her friends at a house party we went to, and, as usual, I declined. This time, though, I was able to somewhat proudly state that I had someone waiting for me back home. Tanya, Irina, and Kate had all cheered and had asked me about Bella relentlessly. But I actually didn't mind talking about all the wonderful things about Bella. An awed smile always came to my face whenever I did talk about her, and my cousins would sigh and fawn over me, giggling. "Our little Eddie finally found someone!" Irina cooed, and I had blushed with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.

There was a thick blanket of snow over just about everything here in Washington. Bella had told me that there was a huge storm that had hit while we were gone. The roads were mostly cleared off, leaving the ground damp and shiny. I listened faintly to the sound of Emmett and Alice arguing over who had first dibs on the new Xbox we got for Christmas, and the sound of my father and mother making plans for next year's trip. We turned off of the main highway and drove down a quieter main road, passing a few homes and side streets.

It took only one second for it to happen. One instant I was just sitting in my seat, minding my own business, and the next I couldn't see anything at all. In fact, all I saw was a dusty brown clouding my eyes. I felt my body get tugged sharply in one direction, and I could hear everyone screaming. There was the sound of crushed and shredded metal, and very close to me I could hear the honk of a car horn going off. Everything then suddenly seemed to stop then, leaving everything with an eerie silence.

"Is everyone okay? Honey, are you alright?" It was my father, his voice breathless and shaking. There was a small shifting sound, and then my mother gave a half-whispered "yes".

"You guys okay?" My father called again, and from somewhere next to me Alice and Emmett answered. The dusty brown cloud that had floated in front of me started to fade, and I could make out the dark silhouettes of everyone in the car. I was about to speak when a sudden piercing pain shot up through my right leg. I yelped, surprised at the pain.

"Edward, what's wrong?" My mother asked.

"My leg, it hurts," I said, my right hand running down from my thigh and stopping when it ran into the metal of the car door. I couldn't reach any farther.

"How strong is the pain?" My father questioned.

"It's like, a burning, or something," I answered, dazed, the brown fading completely away replaced by a subdued burn coming from the right side of my body. "I actually can't see my leg at all, the door is over it."

"I think your leg might be pinned, it's the side we got hit on," he replied, and I grew a little nauesous at thought of my leg being squished under heavy metal.

There was a knock on one of the windows, and as my father opened his door we heard the frantic voice of an older woman, panicking about our car. She had already called the paramedics, and she was perfectly fine. Apparently, she had been turning onto our road when her car slipped on the ice, leading her straight into the path of my door. Her car only had slight damage, while ours crumpled like a sheet of paper.

The paramedics arrived, and my father's guess was correct. My leg was trapped within the confines of the door. The pain was strange; it was numb at times, and then every now and then a burning, crippling pain would shoot all the way to my hip, causing me to bite my lip to contain the scream that begged to come out. From what I could hear around me, everyone else was alright, save a couple of bumps and bruises on my mother. Since the others weren't on the side that got hit, they were spared any real injury.

I was carefully moved out of the way and onto a gurney after cutting off the smashed doors with the Jaws of Life. That part was the worst; any slight motion caused my leg to throb with unbearable pain, so much that I almost passed out. I could only barely register the commotion around me: my father talking to the paramedics, the call of the sirens, and the mixed up voices of the rest of my family.

I closed my eyes, my body exhausted from the pain and the frenzy. I heard my father talk to me as we sped down the road toward the hospital.

"You're going to go into surgery, Edward. First thing, okay? I'll be there," he assured from somewhere next to me.

"Okay," I mumbled back, just wanting this whole ordeal to be over so the pain would stop.

When we got to the hospital, my father walked right beside me and the paramedics, clearing the hall and barking out orders. He was in his element, doctor mode, and he wasn't going to let anyone break his focus.

As I was set up for surgery and my mind started to fade into unconsciousness due to the anesthesia, I sent out a thought like a message.

_I'm sorry, Bella, but it seems like it'll be a while before I get to see you._

**

* * *

**

**BPOV:**

I stared back at Alice, dread washing over me like a wave. "What do you mean?"

"Edward's in the hospital," Alice said, her eyes tired. I gasped, my mind going into overdrive. Was he okay? What happened? Is he badly hurt? My breathing had gotten shallow, and I clutched the side of the doorway tightly for support. Emmett bounded up next to Alice, looking just as exhausted.

"Is he alright? What happened?" I tried to be calm, but my voice sounded terrified and hysterical in my ears.

"He's fine, well, sort of," Emmett said, slipping his hands into his pockets. "He had to go into surgery."

"We were in a car accident on the way home from the airport," Alice explained as I fell a little further into panic. She looked over me, concerned. "Bella, please, you should sit down. You look like you're gonna pass out."

I shook my head numbly. "Is Edward really okay?" I asked, ignoring her. The two of them sighed.

"He broke his right leg, Bella. The other car hit us right in his door." Emmett ran a hand over his short brown locks. "Man, I should have let Dad take my car to the airport instead, it would have handled it better, but I was so stubborn..."

"He just got out of the OR," Alice said, trying to sound reassuring. "We just got back home, and we figured that we should let you know that everything was fine."

My heart clenched painfully. I heard their words, but somehow I couldn't accept them. Edward was in pain somewhere, injured, and here I was standing around like an idiot. I had to see him, had to see for myself that he was okay.

I turned back into the house and ran to the coat closet in the hallway, looking for jacket to throw on. Then I launched myself up the stairs, tripping and falling the whole way, ending up in my room so I could find a pair of shoes. I grabbed my old sneakers and stepped into them quickly, and then made my way down the stairs again. Alice and Emmett had moved inside and were standing in the front room, bewildered.

"Bella?" Alice stepped forward to me, her eyes wide.

"Bring me to the hospital," I commanded, meeting her gaze fiercely. She shrunk back a bit, still in shock.

"I don't know, Bella. Really, Edward will be fine. He's probably still sleeping," she stuttered out. Emmett nodded next to her.

"Please, I need to see him," I shook my head, ignoring her words. I turned away from them for the front door, hearing their hurried steps behind me.

"Bella, Edward will call you when he wakes up. Really, you don't have to do this," Emmett pleaded. I stopped at the doorway, looking at his Jeep.

"I need to see him," I repeated, stepping out onto the porch. I stopped at the top step, looking out at the front lawn. This whole yard was my enemy, my battle keeping me from my goal. Swallowing thickly, I grasped the railing and stepped down slowly. Alice danced down past me and stopped on the pathway in front of me.

"Bella, please," she said worriedly. I said nothing, moving again to go down to the next step. Emmett loomed behind me.

"Bella, just...come back inside. Everything will be fine," he called, trying to get me to turn around. I moved again, this time getting even closer to the ground. Both Alice and Emmett kept trying to get me to stop, but I paid no attention to their words. I was trying to focus, just like I had when Edward and I had gone down the stairs before, and it was hard when so many things were happening at the same time.

I was finally on the last step before the gravel pathway. This was the hugest mountain I had to climb, and I wasn't sure what there was after the fact. I could feel an all too familar panic begin to seep into me as I felt the cold air around me. I was in the open; vulernable. It was everything that I had been hiding from.

I gripped the railing even tighter, and with a deep breath, I pushed myself off of the last step, landing on the gravel. The sound of my feet hitting the ground echoed in my ears. I let go of the railing and clutched my arms to my sides. My eyes were tearing up, making everything blurry. My breath came sharply, and before I realized what was happening a sob forced its way out of my throat.

"Bella!" Emmett and Alice exclaimed, coming closer to me, but I only cried out, keeping them away. I had to do this; I had to see Edward. Every other thought was irrelevant, even though my body was telling me otherwise. I forced my foot forward, shutting my eyes. The air, the sounds of the neighborhood, everything was washing over me, threatening to drown me. I ordered my feet forward, feeling the panic hit my body with each blind step. I never looked at where I was going, only telling my body that I just needed to go.

"Emmett, start the car!" Alice shouted over my sobs. I was crying and screaming, gripping my sides so tightly my arms were straining with the effort. I kept moving though, keeping my eyes closed to the openness around me that would surely stop me. I could faintly hear the roar of the Jeep as it started from somewhere in front of me, and the icy air blew across my face even colder since my cheeks were wet with tears.

It felt like I was walking for forever. I only cried more and more as time went on, and it seemed like the only thing I had to look forward to was more distance, more space that I had to cross. It took me by surprise when I suddenly felt arms around me, pulling me against the cold metal of the side of the car. Alice's voice was right by my ear, and she shushed me as I heard the sound of the door opening. I was tugged into the car, falling pathetically onto my hands as my body struggled to hoist itself into the backseat. I finally fell onto the seat, opening my eyes to blurry images of the inside of the car. The door shut and Alice was by my side, ordering Emmett to drive.

The ride to the hospital wasn't as bad as going outside. Alice rubbed my back and stroked my hair, whispering to me about how everything was fine, and that I was very brave. I was still sobbing, and I avoided looking out the window to see any of the scenery pass by. Apparently, from what I could tell Emmett was speeding, and he had no worries about possibly being pulled over. It seemed like only minutes had passed until we were at the hospital, pulling up the drop-off entrance. I was trying to breathe normally, so I could ready myself for the short walk to the doors. The door opened next to me, and I could see through my blurred vision that Emmett had opened it and was waiting.

I shakily leaned out of the car and took his hand when he offered it, lowering myself to the ground. Any sort of calm that I had regained during the car ride had disappeared when I began to think about where I was, how I got here, and most importantly, Edward. My breathing picked up, and I was shaking so bad that my vision moved with the motion. Alice had come out behind me and shut the door. Emmett wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and Alice did the same on my other side. Together, the two of them flanking me, we walked from the car to the automatic sliding doors of the hospital.

Alice and Emmett were patient, matching my pace exactly. I felt a mix of humiliation and relief as we finally entered the doors, standing in the front area where other people stared at me oddly. I must have looked a sight; I was still in sweats and my ratty sneakers, my hair was a tangled mess, and my eyes were probably red and puffy from my tears. Emmett left my side, saying that he was going to move the Jeep away so he wouldn't get a ticket, and Alice kept her tiny arm around me as she guided me to the elevators.

I was better now that I was indoors, but I still was extremely uncomfortable with all the people. Doctors, nurses, patients, and other visitors all gave me strange glances, and I tried my best not to look them in eyes. Alice pulled me along, saying nothing but looking at me every few minutes to make sure that I was okay. I kept following her, my legs weak and tired. We took the elevator up to the floor that Edward was on, and my heartbeat sped up as I realized that I was here, that I was actually where Edward was, and that I would be able to see him.

Walking down the hall to Edward's room, we passed few people and listened to the gentle hum of the hospital. As we got closer to the room, I saw that Edward's mother was leaning against the wall next to his door. She looked up and saw us, shock coating her features. There was a large white bandage over her forehead, but other than that she didn't look like she had any other injuries. Her caramel locks of hair was tied back into a bun at the back of her head.

"Oh my! Bella, is that you?" she stepped forward to meet Alice and I. I nodded, unable to speak just yet.

"She wants to see Edward," Alice said. "Emmett will be right up."

Mrs. Cullen looked back and forth between me and the door to Edward's room. "Oh, I don't know, sweetheart, he's still sleeping. How did you get here?"

I knew that her question was not about how Emmett drove me here. It was about how I managed to get myself out of the house and here in one piece what with my...condition. Alice answered for me.

"We helped her," she said simply. Mrs. Cullen looked me straight in the eyes, searching for something. I stared back at her, uneasy. I really just wanted to get this over with and see Edward, who was only behind this door several feet away. _So close._

Mrs. Cullen stood straighter then, and a gentle smile formed on her face. She seemed to have found whatever she was looking for in my eyes, and she was happy about it.

"I guess it's alright if you go in, but be very quiet. He needs his rest," she said softly. I nodded quickly, moving towards the door. "Thank you," I mumbled.

I rested my hand on the doorknob for a second, steeling myself and preparing for whatever I found behind that door. Finally, with a small push, I opened the door.

The room was very dim; the blinds were shut and only a small lamp in the corner was turned on. It was very plain and bare. There was a small table, an uncomfortable-looking plastic chair, and a tv suspended up in one corner. I was drawn to the bed on the far side, where a sleeping Edward was resting. He had a couple of bandages on his arms, and his right leg was elevated above the white sheets in a cast. He was attached to a few machines, but otherwise, he looked normal from the waist up. His bronze mess of hair fell over his closed eyes, and I moved closer to inspect his gorgeous face.

Everything seemed fine; he had a tiny cut on his cheek, but other than that his face was untouched. The sharp lines and angles of his face were relaxed in his sleep. I watched him for a few seconds as his chest rose up and down with the motion of his breathing.

He was alright; he was here and alive. The greatest feeling of relief swept over me, and I grabbed the plastic chair and scooted it over right next to him. I sat, feeling beyond exhausted. He was here, he was really _here. I _was really here. I had moved out of the comfort of my home and had come here, all for him. Looking back, I was amazed at myself. Sure, I probably could have just waited until Edward had woken up and called, but something inside me didn't want that. It wasn't comforted by the fact that everyone told me that he was okay. It needed to see him, _I _needed to see him, to be absolutely sure. It was probably foolish and flighty to leave home like that, and I would probably have some explaining to do for Charlie, but at this point I didn't really care. I had made it.

I reached for his large hand, enclosing it in my tiny ones. It was very warm, and I moved the chair even closer to his bed. Sighing, I leaned back in the chair. With Edward's hand in mine, I drifted off to sleep, finally feeling at peace.

* * *

**A/N: She finally made it out, all for Edward! This part was hard to write, especially since Edward's car accident was similar to one I had a few years ago. Luckily, no one was hurt, but our car was completely totaled.**

**Anyhoo, I'd love to know what you guys think. Please review!**


	11. Settle

**Hey guys. So I still don't know at this point how many more chapters are left. It probably won't go longer than 20 unless I can come up with new material. For now, though, expect to see things begin to wind down.**

**Thanks again for all the dedicated reviewers who give me something to look forward to when I check my email! And thanks to all those who have added this story to their favorites or story alerts. You guys rock!**

**On with the story!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: You know, I really don't own Twilight. I don't. Really.**

* * *

**EPOV:**

My mind seemed to wake up before my body. Everything felt slow and hazy. I was still in darkness as my body slowly fell out of its resting state. Eventually, I was able to flutter my eyelids, and I opened my eyes gradually, adjusting to the new light.

I was on my back, staring at a tiled ceiling in a room at the hospital. I didn't have to look at my leg to know that it was raised and wrapped in a cast, and the pain was starting to come back. I heard a rhythmic beeping from the machines next to me, but other than that it was pretty quiet. I turned my head to get a better view of my surroundings, and almost had a heart attack at what I saw.

Bella was sitting next to me, holding my hand. I wasn't even aware that she was touching it. She was sleeping, slouched in the chair, and her face looked strangely at peace compared to the rest of her appearance. She was dressed in a pair of sweats and a thin jacket over her t-shirt. Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed, and her hair had fallen over her shoulders, evidence of her leaving in a hurry.

_Wait, she's actually _here! My brain finally registered this fact. I marveled at Bella then, staring at her pretty face and wondering how in the world she had managed to get here. Her cheeks were still a little flushed, and judging by the way her nose was a light pink I guessed that she had done a lot of crying on the way over here.

Why was she here? To see me? I ran through thought after thought in my head as I gripped her hands gently. She must have been so terrified. And I guess me not calling her after getting back from the airport didn't help either. She probably thought something was wrong and was able to force her way here. A warmth filled me at that thought. Knowing that Bella struggled against her agoraphobia, fought back from her body's instincts, _all just to see if I was alright, _was stunning to me. This girl had no boundaries when it came to selflessness; never had that been more apparent to me than right now. I couldn't help but smile. Bella was _here. _I was so proud of her.

I continued to look at her, wanting her to wake up and at the same time cherishing her as she slept, the picture of peace. Eventually, her hands twitched, and she began to move, yawning as her sleep faded. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking rapidly. Through bleary eyes she found me, and she began to smile.

"Hi," I said, my voice still thick with sleep.

"Hi," she rasped, clearing her throat. "You're okay."

"I am," I replied back. We both spoke in half-whispers, not wanting to disrupt the quiet of the room.

"I'm glad," she said earnestly, grinning. I laced my fingers within hers.

"I can't believe you're here, Bella. I'm very proud of you," I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed it gently. She blushed, looking away from me.

"I was a mess. I still am," she glanced around the room, and then her eyes landed back at me, but this time there were tears. "I was so worried, I didn't know what to do," she whispered. "I just had to see you."

I tried to move closer to her, only managing to move a couple of inches. She was trembling slightly. "Shh, Bella. We're here, together now."

She reached with her other hand to wipe away her tears before they fell. I was about to speak again when a knock on the door interrupted us. It swung open quietly, revealing my mother, father, and, unexpectedly, Chief Swan. They didn't seem to be surprised that Bella was here; Alice or someone must have told them.

"Hello, dear. How are you feeling?" my mother asked, leading them into the room.

"Alright, I guess. My leg is starting to hurt, though," I replied. My father nodded.

"The medication must be wearing off. We'll get you started on something for the pain," he said.

Chief Swan cleared his throat then, almost uncomfortably. "Bella, we should get home. Let the Cullens recuperate."

Bella looked at me, uncertain. I could tell what she was thinking; she wasn't sure if she could make it home, and she didn't want to leave me any more than I wanted her to leave. But I knew that she had to go, otherwise it would be worse when she did leave later on. I squeezed her hand, trying to encourage her.

"I'll call you, I promise," I said, looking her straight in the eyes. She swallowed nervously, then nodded. She stood, squeezing my hand one final time before letting go. "Bye," she whispered.

"Bye," I replied, watching as she walked away and out the door, followed by her father. My parents swooped in then, my father checking my stats and my mother fawning over me, stroking my hair and kissing my cheek.

"You did absolutely fine through surgery, Edward," my father assured. "You did break your leg, and you'll be on crutches for a while, but other than that you'll be completely fine."

"You won't be able to start pre-season with the guys, though," Emmett said, walking in the room with Alice. I felt a little sad as I thought about this; the whole baseball team would begin workouts soon, and not being there would only make things worse when the season did start.

"That...sucks," I responded, looking down at the bulky cast. Alice came up and patted my arm.

"Jasper and Rosalie said hi and they're glad you're alright," she offered. "But hey, maybe this whole not-being-in-workouts thing is good. You'll get to spend more time with Bella once you get home."

At the mention of Bella my mother looked at me, a somewhat awed look on her face.

"That Bella is something special," she grinned. "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her, dragging herself down the hall with Alice. She looked like the world ended, she was so frazzled. But she came here to see _you, _Edward. Even with all that she goes through."

I smiled again, thinking of Bella, missing her already. "She's amazing."

"I can't imagine how hard it must have been for her, especially with her advanced condition," my father said. He probably knew of Bella's medical history when she moved here and her father registered her.

"It was hard to watch," lamented Alice, "but she was so determined. I could see it in her eyes."

"She's one stubborn girl," Emmett laughed, leaning on the edge of the bed. We all chuckled, amazed by the girl we knew as Bella Swan.

"Well, everyone should get going. Visiting hours are almost up," my father sighed. My mother's shoulders fell as she let go of me, walking over toward Emmett and Alice.

"We'll see you tomorrow, sweetie," she said, and Emmett and Alice both waved, promising to text me if anything happened. I knew that I was going to ask later about Bella and if she managed to get home okay.

The rest of the night, I mostly sat and thought about how I was going to make up for baseball this year. This broken leg would definitely impact my physique, and I knew that the team would be upset losing one of their star players.

I watched tv when I ran out of thinking to do, waiting for the medication I was taking to kick in. My phone buzzed on the little table next to me, and upon looking on the screen I saw that it was Alice. She told me that Bella had finally gotten home, and that it had taken two hours for her to leave the hospital. A few nurses tried to help her before Emmett finally ended up carrying her out to the car. The same thing happened when she had gotten home with her father.

I still had a hard time believing that Bella had been here. From the moment that I woke up today, I realized that something had definitely shifted, and it was only confirmed when I saw her sleeping by my side. This was more than I had ever expected, but I think that in reality I knew it all along: I loved Bella. I loved her with everything in me. She was, at this point, the driving force behind everything that I did. I felt a mixture of elation, hope, and fear with this realization. It was scary knowing that I had unconsciously given my heart away, especially to someone who had the absolute power to crush it. But it felt so natural, so easy to be with her. We seemed to compliment each other in every way.

I had fallen asleep after this, dreaming of nothing. I woke up the next day, strangely feeling like a new person. My father came in to check on me, but I was mostly alone for the day. After eating the meal that my mother had brought me when she visited, I called Bella on my cell phone. She sounded exhausted, but extremely happy. When I asked her how the ride home went, however, she seemed to grow sad.

"It was..." she trailed off, growing quiet.

"Bella?" I asked.

"I was so frustrated," she finally said, sorrowing filling her voice. "I felt like a failure."

"Don't say that," I countered gently. "You made it to the hospital, _on your own. _That's way farther than what you've been practicing with me. That's amazing."

"It was humiliating, leaving the hospital," she almost wept, and my heart broke at the sound. "It only reminded me how much of a freak I am."

"You're not a freak," I said firmly. "You're the bravest person I know, Bella."

She sighed, not speaking for a few seconds. "When do you think you'll get to leave?" she asked quietly, changing the subject.

"My father says sometime this week, maybe two more days tops," I answered, knowing that she was still mentally beating herself up.

"Okay. I miss you," she said longingly. I smiled a little at that.

"I miss you too, Bella. And don't worry, I won't let a broken leg stop me from coming to see you."

"You better not," she joked, and we both laughed. I talked with her for a few more minutes before hanging up. I was bored quickly after that; there was nothing to watch on tv, and I didn't have anything else to do. I was, therefore, happy when Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie stepped through the door sometime that afternoon.

"Dude, that sucks," Jasper commented, staring at the bulky cast. I nodded, sighing.

"Yeah. I'm not even sure that I'll be able to play this season," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"How do you feel?" Emmett asked, slipping his arm around Rosalie.

"Eh, alright, I guess," I replied. Jasper went to sit in the plastic chair that was still at the side of the bed.

"So was Bella really here?" questioned Rosalie. I could never tell how Rosalie felt about Bella. Rose always treated Bella with respect whenever she was around, but she didn't go to visit Bella unless any of us did. I guess that she was intrigued, and yet slightly uncomfortable in Bella's presence.

"Yeah, she was," I confirmed, leaning back against my propped up pillow. Rosalie only nodded.

"We're going to go see her today and make sure she's still okay," Alice said, going over to stand by Jasper. "I know school doesn't pick up until next week, but we definitely need to start getting ready for the new semester."

Ugh, I didn't even want to think about school right now. I sighed, looking around as both couples were standing together, leaning on each other. I missed Bella; I wanted to hold her and hear her laugh and watch her smile. Suddenly it felt like everything was moving too slowly. I wanted to get out of the hospital and fast forward the healing process. Watching everyone with their significant others only made me feel that much more restless.

As the rest of the day went on and faded into the evening, I lay there in an anxious haze, wanting nothing more than to be with Bella.

* * *

**BPOV:**

I rolled over on my side to look at my alarm clock within the dim light of my room. _3:26pm. _After coming home from the hospital yesterday, I had gone immediately up to my room and had broken down on my bed, sobbing. I felt so weak and tired. Leaving the hospital was just as bad, if not worse than getting there. I was ashamed of myself, and yet I couldn't stop freaking out as the nurses and Alice and Emmett and Charlie all tried to help me. I just wanted to shut myself away and never come out after that. I was happy that Edward wasn't there to see it.

Next to me, Edward's journal lay open on the last page that I had been reading. The line that stood out boldly on the page: _I wanna be your last first kiss._

Talking to Edward on the phone was a little reassuring, though. Hearing him tell me that I was brave was certainly endearing. But I still couldn't help but feel like I had been a failure. I decided to push it out of my mind for now; I wanted to focus on Edward and helping him any way that I could.

Charlie was certainly surprised to find out that I had ended up all the way at the hospital. At first, he was worried that something had happened to me; after all, I did just leave the house with a note or a phone. I also expect that he wasn't planning on me not being in the house after all this time I spent indoors. But when he got a call from the station about the accident, and he found out who was involved, he knew where I had ended up.

I turned to lay on my back again. I hadn't been bothered all day except for Charlie coming in to tell me that he was leaving for work. So it was a surprise to me when I heard the doorbell ring downstairs. I pushed myself off of my bed and hurried down the stairs, coming to a sliding halt in front of the door.

Standing at the door were Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett. They all looked a little tired, but they wore gentle smiles on their faces. I stepped back to let them in.

"Hey, Bella. How are you?" Alice asked, stepping into the living room with Jasper close behind. Emmett and Rosalie followed them, and I shut the door and sat down in Charlie's recliner.

"I'm fine," I said quietly. Alice nodded at me.

"We saw Edward today," she mentioned. "He's doing well. Dad says he'll be ready to leave in a few days."

"That's great," I smiled. Emmett leaned back into the couch with Rosalie.

"You know, we're really glad that you came to see him. It means a lot," Alice remarked, looking sincere. "It means even more to Edward."

I looked down at my lap, twisting my hands together. "I'm sorry I freaked out on you guys," I mumbled.

"Don't worry about it, Bella! I'm sure that if Rose here got hurt, I would have done the same thing," Emmett said, throwing his arm around Rosalie's shoulders. She looked up at him and shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but you probably would have done something stupid like getting into another accident on the way," she said. Her crystal blue eyes snapped back to me. "Really though, Bella. I think that what you did was really sweet. I don't know if I could be that brave."

I was surprised to hear Rosalie say this to me. Before it seemed like she didn't really have an opinion about me, like I was just a fixture in her life that she couldn't do anything about. But now she seemed to gaze at me with respect, firmly and sincerely. I only nodded, not sure what to say.

"So, any plans for him when he comes back?" Alice smirked, and I blushed a little.

"Yeah, it's not like he's gonna have much to do for a while," Emmett laughed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, pre-season for baseball is gonna start soon, but with a broken leg he won't be able to go to the workouts," explained Jasper, sitting on the arm of the couch. "He may not even get to play this season."

"Oh no," I said. Edward had mentioned that baseball was one of the biggest parts of his life.

"But, an upside to this is that he gets to see you more," Alice winked. I have to admit, a felt a tinge of happiness at this. But baseball was something that Edward loved doing, and I don't think that spending time with me was a fair substitute.

"I hope he gets better fast, I didn't like seeing him like that," I offered. Alice nodded.

"He'll be fine. We just want to make sure you're okay, too," she said. I smiled at all of them. To me, it felt like I had finally gained some true friends throughout this whole ordeal of moving to Forks.

"Thank you," I said, looking at each of them. "So, would you guys want to stay for dinner?"

The rest of the evening was spent in the kitchen, with me trying to teach everyone how to make different parts of our dinner. Rosalie and I chopped up vegetables for a salad, laughing as Emmett was unsuccessfully trying to fry up the chicken that I had prepared. Jasper and Alice got into a mini food fight while baking dessert, a simple cherry pie. Overall it was a fun night, and as we sat around the kitchen table eating, I couldn't help but feel almost euphoric. The only thing that would have made it absolutely perfect would be having Edward at my side. I settled for the phone call that I received from him after dinner.

"I hope Emmett isn't messing up your house. I wouldn't want the Chief to add 'destruction of his personal property' to Emmett's record," Edward joked as I watched everyone hang in the living room, watching tv.

"No, he is on his best behavior, especially now that my dad is home," I laughed. Charlie had come home while we were eating, and although he looked a little confused, I could tell that he didn't mind me having company over.

"I wish I could be there," he sighed. I leaned against the wall, tangling the phone cord in my hand.

"I wish you could, too."

"I'll be out of here as soon as I can."

"You don't have to rush or anything. You need to heal," I said. "You don't have to be in a hurry to see me, I'm not anything special."

"Bella..." he sounded very tired.

"What?"

"I just wish that you could see yourself the way that I see you," he said softly. "You think I want to be stuck in a boring hospital room all by myself?"

"I just don't want you to get even more hurt than you already are," I replied.

"Don't worry about me, Bella. I just want you to understand where I'm coming from," he remarked. "Okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay," I stood up straight. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella."

* * *

A few days later, I was furiously cleaning the living room, almost exactly copying the behavior that I had before that movie night all those months ago. Edward was coming over today, having been released from the hospital yesterday. Emmett was going to drop him off. I wanted him to be as comfortable as possible while he was here.

The doorbell rang right at noon, and I rushed over from turning on the tv to answer it. Edward was there, waving to Emmett, who bounded off down the street in his large Jeep. He turned to face me, but he didn't say a word. I stared back at him, refamiliarizing myself with his appearance.

He was leaning on a pair of crutches, his cast covered by the large pair of black sweats he was wearing. He had on a blue zip-up hoodie with a white t-shirt underneath. His bronze hair was as messy as ever, and his brillant green eyes were eager and happy. I realized that he had been staring at me just as I had been ogling him, and I blushed. Feeling self-consicous, I pulled down my purple top over my dark blue jeans. I stepped back to give him room to hop into the house.

"Hey," he finally breathed when he had made his way inside. I shut the door.

"Do you want to sit down? Do you need anything?" I asked him, hoping that I could help him with whatever he needed.

"No, thanks. I'm fine, I'll sit," he said, and I followed him as he walked over the couch, having already acquired a kind of mastery over using the crutches. He sat in the middle of the couch and lifted his leg up to rest in front of him. He patted the seat next to him, and I plopped down at his side. He wrapped him large arm around me and pressed a kiss to my temple.

"This is better," he murmured. I reached for his other hand and held onto it.

"I'm glad you're here," I said, keeping my eyes forward, looking at the tv. I felt him trace the bracelet that still adorned my wrist.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he replied simply. I relaxed into his hold. I could tell that we both didn't feel the need to say anything. We were content with just being together.

Every now and then one of us would ask the other a question, usually something random and trivial. At one point, however, I asked Edward about his plans after high school.

"Well, definitely college," he said, "but I'm not sure where yet. Either University of Alaska or University of Washington."

"What do you want to be?" I asked.

"I've been thinking about becoming a doctor, like my dad," he said. "But I'm pretty much open to anything."

He looked hesistant then, as he asked me, "So what are your plans?"

"Um, I don't know," I replied, unsure. "I can't exactly _go _to college."

"You could do online courses. I'm sure there are plenty of colleges with that," he suggested.

"Yes, but, I just wish that I could actually have the experience of going on campus," I turned to look at him. "You know, meeting people, going to classes, and all that."

"But would you be happy? In that kind of environment?" Edward countered. I thought about it for a moment before I spoke again.

"I'm not so sure," I said, and I really wasn't.

"Maybe you should try and think about all the other alternatives," he offered. "Maybe...maybe you could go where I end up going, at least online, and we could be together."

That idea opened up a whole world of questions for me. Did Edward still want to be with me then, years from now? Or would he eventually grow tired of putting up with me? I certainly cared enough about him. Did I want this too? What was going to happen when I start living on my own, if I can live on my own? Would anyone take care of me?

"Do you want that?" I asked timidly. "Do you want to still be with me, that far into the future?"

"Yes," he looked at me, resolution and finality in his eyes.

"But what if you get tired of me?"

"Bella, I don't know how many times I've told you," he sighed harshly, a slight bit of irritation wrinkling his brow. "I _want _to be with you, wherever you go. It's not some kind of chore, or some kind of burden for me."

"Sometimes it feels that way," I mumbled, looking away from him. "You could be with anyone else."

"But I'm here with you," He shifted so that his body faced mine. "And I _want _to be. Bella, I..."

He stopped then, pausing as if unsure. He swallowed, nodding his head to himself. He took my hand in his.

"Bella...I love you."

* * *

**A/N: Pivotal moment!!! Anyways, I'm still trying to figure out how to link to that picture of the bracelet. Can anyone help with that?**

**The song lyric came from "Inevitable" by Anberlin. It's a beautiful song.**

**Review with your thoughts!**


	12. Payback

**How is everyone? I have the next chapter for you, right here!**

**So here's the deal: there will probably one more chapter after this, and then the epilouge. I know, sad day, right? Well, to me, it feel like this story is coming to it's natural end. But I'm glad that you guys have enjoyed it this far.**

**Edward may be a little OOC in this chapter, depending on how you see him. Thanks for everyone's reviews. This is me everytime I read them: "SQUEEEEEEEE!!!" Obviously, I only read them when I'm alone, lol.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: I really can't think of any creative ways to say that I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

**BPOV:**

I don't even know how long I sat there, trying to comprehend his words. _He loved me?! _He certainly looked very honest when he said it. My mind seemed to go blank, and then sped up quickly into overdrive.

I couldn't deny, no matter what else happened, that I loved Edward. It did become more apparent to me when I had seen him at the hospital, but I always knew that I would forever love him, no matter how he felt towards me. Never did I even dream that he could feel the exact same as me, and here he was, telling me so.

I looked up to him, locking eyes. His expression was so serious and honest, but I could also see a kind of vulnerability hiding within the depths of his green eyes. He had given me power; whether I used it to break him or make him whole was completely up to me.

"I..." The word slipped out, holding his attention. He looked so anxious, I could see the muscles in his neck and shoulders tense tightly. I couldn't hold him up in suspense like this; I had to let him know how I felt.

"I love you, too," I whispered, feeling my eyes fill with tears. Edward's eyes widened, and then he was beaming, his smile stretching all the way across his face. I grinned back, a lone tear falling down my cheek as I blinked.

"Bella," he breathed, reaching up to brush the tear away. His hand cupped my cheek, and he leaned in to touch his lips to mine, gently. He took my top lip in between his, tugging softly. My hands wound themselves into his messy hair, pulling him closer to me. His other hand gripped my side, holding me to him. Our breathing picked up as his tongue swept across the line of my lips. I parted mine and tasted him, just as his tongue reached to caress my mouth. He held me tighter, leaning farther back into the couch and pulling me along so that I was sitting on his lap.

The only sound in the room was the low volume of the tv and our gasps as the kisses grew more and more passionate. Both of Edward's hands were dragging up and down my sides, making my shirt ride up. I couldn't help but moan into his mouth as I felt his calloused fingers brush against the sliver of skin between my jeans and my shirt. His lips moved away from mine, trailing down to my neck. I gasped as I felt him sucking and nipping at my pulse point.

"Edward," I whispered, my hands gripping him tighter. I ran one of my hands down his chest, clawing at his shirt. He groaned into my neck, his hot breath tickling my skin.

"Bella, I love you so much," his lips moved against my skin. I moved my head down to place a kiss on his forehead. I leaned against him as he straightened back, putting his forehead against mine. We sat there quietly, holding each other. I couldn't remember ever feeling such love and happiness before this moment. It was as if we were meant to be here, we were meant to be paired together. He was my saving grace; he helped me feel things that I never thought were possible. Suddenly I couldn't ever imagine being without him. I wanted to be with him wherever he went, including college. My place was by his side.

* * *

"Edward, could you help me with this?" I asked, nodding over to the dining table covered with food. It was a surprisingly sunny day in late March, and I had invited everyone over for a picnic lunch out in front of the house.

"Sure," Edward said, reaching over to grab two large plates filled with food. His leg had pretty much healed with weeks of rest, and now he was able to stay on his feet for lengths at a time without getting tired. Still, I always kept a watchful eye and made sure that he rested whenever his leg started bothering him again. He followed me out onto the porch, where several blankets had been spread out. Placing the dishes I was holding down on one blanket, I moved over to the top step.

After Edward and I had declared our love for each other, the dynamic of our relationship changed into something much more intimate and supportive. Edward helped to coax me to move down the stairs once again, but I had to do it without holding him since he couldn't exactly walk himself. We worked on it as much as we could, and eventually I got to the point where I could make it to the last step before the gravel pathway all by myself. At rare times, I would actually go all the way down to the gravel, but it wouldn't last long. It wasn't perfect, and there were still days when I would refuse to move from my perch on the top step, but I had definitely made more progress than before.

I gripped the railing and walked down to the last step, looking out across the yard as I saw Emmett pull up with the rest of the gang and park right behind Edward's Volvo. They hopped out of the car, and Alice bounded up to me, throwing her arms around me in an enthusiastic hug. I laughed as she pulled away.

"Bella! You look adorable! Finally listening to my advice, eh?" she nudged me playfully. I rolled my eyes as I looked back down at my outfit for the day.

Alice had taken to dressing me up whenever she felt the urge. She continuously brought me clothes that had tags that I knew indicated designer brands. I constantly asked her not to spend money on me, but she pretended to not listen and would come back with something more spectacular and expensive the next day. I didn't have the heart to tell her no, though; her eyes seemed to light up whenever she was decorating me, and who was I to deny her when she had no female siblings to bond with?

Today I was wearing one of her "approved" outfits. I had on a short-sleeve, cream-colored tunic that draped down and stopped past my thighs but before the knees. It had a lace-like neckline and hem that decorated the sleeves as well. I paired this with black leggings and light-brown ballet flats, looking every bit the girl from the dry deserts of Phoenix. My hair was down and pushed back with a matching cream headband.

"Sure, Alice," I smiled, leading her up to the porch were Edward was finished setting up. Jasper and Emmett walked over, carrying a large water cooler between the two of them. Rosalie was behind them, a large pair of designer sunglasses resting on her face.

"You can set that by the door," I nodded to the boys, who put the cooler down. Emmett plopped down onto a blanket, looking up at all of us.

"Well?" he asked, crossing him arms. "Let's eat! I'm starving!"

We all laughed and settled down to eat. Every couple grouped together and listened as Emmett talked about his plans for next year. He got accepted to the University of Washington, and this summer he was going to move down there early to check out the area. Rosalie looked slightly crestfallen at this, and Emmett kept his arm around her, rubbing her shoulders to comfort her.

"Don't worry, babe," he said soothingly, "I'll visit every weekend, it's not that far from home."

"You better," she tried to warn, but it only ended up sounding like a plea instead of a threat. Emmett only kissed her on the forehead and chuckled.

Alice sipped on a bottle of water and cleared her throat, leaning up against Jasper.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's talk prom!" she said cheerily. I'm pretty sure that all of the boys rolled their eyes.

"Isn't prom like, a month and a half away?" Jasper asked, tossing a few chips into his mouth.

"Yes, and we need to plan! And Bella, don't think I'm leaving you out of this," she replied, nodding in my direction. I looked down at my lap.

"How am I going to be involved in all this?" I asked. Edward's hand laced onto my own. "I don't do dances, Alice." Not even before all my issues with my agoraphobia. I just wasn't into those social kind of things.

"We'll work something out," she said positively. "I will not let you miss out on this. Right, Edward?"

"Sure, whatever, Alice," he replied, then leaned closer to me. "We'll do whatever you want to do, Bella," he told me quietly. I nodded, giving him a small smile.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, prom and all that, but let's talk about something that is actually important," Emmett grumbled. He stretched out so that his large legs were crossed in front of him. "How are we gonna deal with Lauren and Jessica?"

Since school had started back up, the Cullens and the Hales had taken more measures to avoid those girls. After hearing about what those girls had done with the water, everyone wanted to see them pay. Edward had told me that Lauren and Jessica weren't remorseful at all for what they had done to me, and I wasn't surprised. Edward said he was perfectly content with never speaking to them again, but the others wanted revenge. They had been coming up with a way to try to humiliate Lauren and Jessica, and I completely disagreed with them. While it might feel good to make them feel like I did, I didn't want my pathetic self to be the cause of lost friendships for the Cullens.

"Guys, really. You don't have to do anything," I sighed. Alice shook her head.

"Bella, it's okay. If anything, we already have more than enough reason to get back at them. I mean, freshman year Lauren spilled strawberry smoothie all over the side of my car. _My _car!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"Yeah, Bella. They're total bitches, and someone needs to put them in their place," Alice agreed. I sighed again, shaking my head to myself. I really wished that they would just drop this. Alice's eyes darted over to me.

"So Rose, I'll text you tonight if I come up with anything," Alice said, eyeing me sympathetically.

"But why can't we talk about it now? I'm ready for some sweet revenge," Emmett whined, and was cut off by Alice's warning look. I smiled gratefully at Alice. It seemed like we were so in tune with each other now. She really had become a true best friend for me, and it was this thought that allowed me to look past some of our differences.

"As long as it isn't too drastic, I guess a little wake-up call wouldn't hurt," I joked quietly. Emmett fist-pumped and Alice laughed. Edward looked down at me.

"Are you sure, Bella? Because if you don't want us to, we won't do anything," he said. I nodded, relaxing into him arms.

"Great, now that that's settled, can we please talk about something not related to school? I really need to distract myself from the epic fail that was my Spanish test," Jasper said curtly, and Alice simply giggled and nuzzled into his side.

We spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and joking (a lot of the time at Emmett's expense), watching as the sun began to make its descent and feeling the air grow considerably colder. The boys helped pack up the blankets and the water cooler while the girls brought in the leftover food. And as everyone said goodbye, Edward pulled me close, planting a wet kiss on my lips. "I love you," he said tenderly, and Alice cheered obnoxiously. Everyone seemed to congratulate us then, triggering a warm blush from me and a proud smile from Edward.

It was times like these when I realized how far I had come and how lucky I truly was. I had found a group that accepted me, something that I thought would be impossible. I also had found someone who loved me and had my heart completely. Never did I think that this would ever happen to me. But Edward had proven me wrong, and through his love and patience I felt like I could try anything I wanted to.

* * *

**EPOV:**

I know that saying this is cheesy, but I felt like I was floating on air ever since the day that Bella told me that she loved me back. Everything seemed lighter for me, and I ignored Emmett's smirks and Alice's coy looks whenever I left the house to head over to Bella's.

Bella was, without a doubt, the best part of my life. I couldn't wait until next year, and after that, for college. I had already decided that I was going to ask Bella to move in with me. It seemed like the natural thing to do, the next step.

Today was just a slow Wednesday, and I was sitting at lunch with Emmett and Jasper, waiting for the other girls to sit with us. Emmett was tearing up a gum wrapper into tiny pieces, and Jasper was tapping his hand on the table to the beat of a song that he was listening to on his iPod. We were all pretty quiet, until Alice came bounding up with Rosalie in tow.

"Guess what?" Alice squealed, knocking into Jasper as she sat down. She yanked the earbud out of his ear. Before any of us could ask, though, she answered. "Rose and I have found the perfect opportunity to get Lauren and Jessica!"

"Hell yeah!" Emmett cheered, brushing the shredded pieces of paper off of the table. "That's what I'm talking about! What's the deal?"

"Mike's birthday party is on Friday," Rosalie said, peeling back the top of her yogurt cup. "We know for a fact that they'll be there, since Jessica practically worships the ground he walks on."

"And wherever Jessica is, Lauren is," Alice joined in. "So, all we need to do is find some way to embarrass the two of them at the party, preferably in front of Mike and Tyler."

"Okay, well that'll be easy. Just pretend that one of them has an STD and casually mention it in front of Mike," Emmett suggested. Alice shook her head and I rolled my eyes.

"One, that's stupid. Two, we need something bigger and more publicly visual than that to really get them," she said, crossing her hands in front of her and resting her chin on them.

"How about the good ol' tar-and-feather prank? Except we won't use tar, I'm pretty sure that's illegal or something," Jasper quipped. The whole table glanced at him, surprised.

"That just might work," Alice said, grinning. "Even better, we could use hair dye, and they won't realize it until after it's done its job!"

"Yeah!" Rosalie exclaimed. "I've said for the longest time how fake and crappy Lauren's bleach job is. Now we can change all that!"

"Awesome! I'm up for a little change in color," Emmett said. "Electric blue, anyone?"

"Alright, so we somewhat have a plan," I said, "but what about how we will pull it off?"

"Well, that's where you and Jasper come in," Alice declared. "You two will find out as many details about the party as you can."

"Aw, come on, Alice! You know I'm not good at spying or anything like that," Jasper complained.

"That's why you'll have Edward with you, so you won't look too suspicious at practice today," she explained patiently. Although Alice had roped me into this without my permission, I was doing it for Bella, and that thought helped me go through with it. I was actually sort of proud that my whole group had teamed up for Bella; it showed that they truly cared for her and accepted her, just like I did.

Now that baseball season had started up, Jasper and I had been going to practice everyday. Of course, when it first started I was still in my cast and there wasn't much I could really do except for helping the other guys practice their pitches. But now that I was able to walk around, I had to rebuild my strength and skills slowly, only sometimes working out with the rest of the team. For the majority of the practices I rarely played, instead serving as one of the team managers.

After setting the rest of the details of our plan, Jasper and I went to practice with our ears open for any info about the party. Luckily, it didn't take long; we stumbled upon Mike himself, talking animatedly to Eric and some of the other guys in the locker room.

"Yeah man, it'll be great," Mike was saying as we entered the room and walked to our lockers. "My parents are leaving in the afternoon, and they aren't coming back until morning for my actual birthday. We'll have the house to ourselves."

Jasper and I tried to look like we weren't listening as we changed. Mike went on, uninterrupted.

"I think I'm just gonna keep everyone in the basement. Less clean up," he said, shrugging into his shirt. "But it'll be the usual setup, and I'm pretty sure someone's bringing a cake or something."

For the rest of practice Jasper and I didn't say a word about anything, and at the end we both were personally invited by Mike, who wanted as many people to come as humanly possible. We gave this information to the girls, and began to plot out the details.

* * *

Friday afternoon, I was sitting in Bella's living room after school. She was looking down at me as she stood across from me behind the coffee table. A look of uncertainty and anxiety was twisting her features.

"I don't know if I like this, Edward," she said. I tried to smile reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Bella," I coaxed, "it'll be fine. Alice and Rosalie have been longing for this ever since Jessica called Rosalie a two-cent hooker and Lauren ripped Alice's homecoming gown on purpose."

"They really are terrible, huh?" she stated, walking over to sit next to me. I nodded, grabbing her soft hand.

"What they did to you wasn't right," I said quietly. "They deserve some kind of punishment."

"But are you guys the ones to give it to them?" she rebutted, looking at me pointedly. I sighed.

"Well, I don't know. Please, Bella, it'll be harmless," I stopped, chewing the inside of my cheek. "For the most part, anyway."

She rolled her eyes at me, seeing that I really wasn't worried about tonight. We both stood, my hand still grasping hers.

"Well then, have fun, I guess," she reached up to kiss my lips. I gave her a couple of chaste, quick kisses that made her giggle.

"I'll talk to you later," I said, making my way towards the front door. It was time to get back at them.

* * *

Jasper and I were standing outside of the Newton's house, waiting for the others. People were pulling up and dropping off groups of people at a rapid pace, and everyone mostly went down into the basement, just as Mike had said. Emmett and the girls finally pulled up, parking and carrying several bags as they walked up to us.

"Since everyone will be in the basement, we can get everything ready in the kitchen without anyone seeing," Alice said. We headed into the house and stopped in the kitchen.

Rosalie and Alice set to work getting the dye ready. They used up three boxes of bright blue dye, and there was a large bag of feathers that they had bought from a craft store. They poured the dye into two large bowls and opened the bag of feathers.

"Jasper, go down and see what everyone is doing," Alice commanded. Jasper left quickly and returned within a few moments.

"Lauren and Jessica have a cake for Mike. I heard them talking about it when I was walking down the stairs," he said. "If we put the bowls and the feathers right on the top railing, we should be able to get them when they bring him the cake."

"Perfect," Rosalie said. "I can't wait! Those bitches have got it coming."

I leaned out into the main hallway. It looked like all the guests had stopped arriving. I motioned to the others. "Come on, let's get ready."

Each girl held a bowl while Emmett grabbed the bag of feathers. They stopped at the staircase and stood by the railing. From their spot they were able to get a good view of the party, but no one noticed them unless they looked up.

Jasper and I decided to go down into the actual crowd and signal the others when Jessica and Lauren got into their field of vision. We tried to remain inconspicuous, only talking to a few people and sticking together. Eventually, I noticed among the dancing and half-drunk bodies that Lauren and Jessica were making their way to the far end by the staircase, where a large cake was waiting on a small table. It was right under Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie. Jasper and I gave them the signal, and they got into position.

"Oh, Mike! Birthday Boy!" Jessica crooned loudly, capturing the room's attention. She and Lauren lifted the cake together. Mike walked to the center of the room and laughed as everyone cheered around him. They all started singing a somewhat slurred version of "Happy Birthday," led by the girls. Jasper and I were looking only at the bowls of dye that Rosalie and Alice had in their hands.

"Happy Birthday to yoooooooouuuuuuuu!" Lauren squeaked, and everyone cheered, clapping Mike on the back. Rosalie and Alice gave each other one final look, and then, with a flick of their wrists, they turned the bowls upside down.

It was like that scene straight out of _Carrie. _The dye seemed to fall in a thick sheet, almost in slow motion. It landed on the girls' heads with a loud smack. Their heads were coated with bright blue, and they dropped the cake to the ground as the whole room gasped. Emmett quickly dumped the feathers down, making sure to cover each of them evenly.

The first laughs came from several of the drunken people on the sides of the room, and then eventually, everyone joined in, including Mike. Jasper and I laughed too, encouraged by the look of shock on their faces. I could hear Alice and Rosalie dying with laughter from the stairs, and Emmett's booming laugh echoed down to us.

"Hahaha, that's awesome!" someone said from next to me, and when I turned to look I saw that it was Tyler. Lauren was the first to snap out of her shock, and with a furious snarl she ran from the scene, only to slip on the forgotten cake and fall flat on her face. Jessica ran over to help her, falling down as well. The whole room laughed even harder. I could see Alice wiping tears from her eyes. People were pulling out their cell phones, snapping pictures and video. Lauren and Jessica looked like a mess of bright blue goo and feathers, and they both hastily ran up the stairs, pushing past Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie on the way. It was probably one of the funniest things anyone had seen in a while.

The party resumed then, but now people were snickering, still laughing at the remnants of the blue-spattered cake on the floor. Mike had a smile on his face, but still looked a little confused, and he grabbed a few people to help him clean up the mess before anything set in. I sighed contentedly, rubbing my sides that were aching from the laughter. Jasper and I made our way back up the stair and joined the others, who were still caught up in giggles.

"Did you see the look on Lauren's face? Priceless," Rosalie chortled, holding on to Emmett.

"The cake made everything ten times better," Emmett nodded, wiping his brow. "And I caught it all on my phone!"

"Lucky for them, the dye is only temporary," Alice said, wrapping her arm around Jasper. "It'll wash out...in two weeks."

We all fell into laughter again, nearly collapsing onto the floor. After trying to calm down, we decided to leave, having had enough entertainment for the evening. I couldn't wait to talk to Bella and tell her how well everything went. I wanted to describe the looks of pure horror that the girls had on their faces, and how everyone, people that they had considered friends, had turned around and laughed at them. I realized then that the next time that I would see those girls would be at school, and they still - as far as I know - hadn't realized that it was dye that was sinking into their strands of hair. They probably won't realize it until they try to wash it later tonight.

I snickered to myself as I tried to picture their reactions. For the very first time, I couldn't wait to see Lauren and Jessica again.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? Too mean, not mean enough, or just what they deserved?**

**I hope the time leap wasn't too confusing. Also, I finally got the link for Bella's bracelet up on my profile! Head over there if you want to take a look, and if it doesn't work just let me know.**

**Review and let me know if you liked it!**


	13. Loved

**Hey all! I'm so, so, so, so sorry that this chapter is very late! This past week has been very hectic for me. I had my wisdom teeth removed, and then I had to run a bunch of errands, and then my body decided not to make nice with the percocet that I was taking. It basically made me very nauesous and yadda yadda yadda, you probably don't want to hear about it, so I'll move on.**

**So this is the "tie-up-the-loose-ends, basically-the-end-but-not-quite" chapter. It is chock full of FLUFF so if you're into that, you'll like this. Yes, after this chapter will be the epilouge, the end of I'll Be the Light! Sad, I know.**

**On to the story, everyone! And thanks so much for your patience and support!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: It should be clear by now that I obviously don't own Twilight. God, that was condescending, huh?**

* * *

**EPOV:**

About a week after Mike's party, I was sitting with Bella at my side, curled up on the couch in the living room at her place. She ran her fingers gently up and down my arm, goosebumps following the paths the warmth of her skin made. I was leaning my head against hers, inhaling her sweet scent as she quietly sighed in contentment.

Seeing Lauren and Jessica at school was definitely one of the highlights of the week. On Monday, they had walked into school trying to remain inconspicuous. However, it was hard for them to go unnoticed when they appeared in class with bright blue hair, Lauren's color even more vibrant than Jessica's. Apparently, the color didn't affect Jessica's light brown locks as much as Lauren's obviously fake bleach job. Alice heard that the girls' parents were very confused when their daughters came home with completely new colors, and they actually got into a little bit of trouble. They didn't want to explain that they had been at a party where there were drunk teens and Mike's parents were unaware of the whole thing, so they took their punishments without a word back. Overall, our plan had very pleasing results.

I showed Bella the pictures that Emmett had taken during the party. She had giggled for a little bit, feeling just the smallest bit of victory. But, this being Bella, she had resigned and made me promise not to mess with them again. I only agreed, cheered by her happiness and the fact that she wanted to move on and forget all about those girls.

Now we were cuddled up together, just enjoying the quiet that always seemed to envelope us whenever we were together. Bella snuggled closer into me, burying her head into my chest. She stopped moving her delicate hands to rest them on my stomach.

"My mother wants to meet you," she said quietly. "Maybe the next time she comes up to visit, I could introduce you two, if that's okay."

"Oh, really? That sounds nice, I'd love to meet her," I replied. I was happy that Bella was ready for me to get to know the other parts of her life. Whenever she talked about herself before, she seemed to edit, only giving brief details. But now that we were closer, she started to let me in on the real Bella. I loved listening to her talk about the things she found funny, or the trips that she used to take with her mother when she was younger, or the many different things that she tried to do to make her parents happy. I had come to learn that Bella was one of the most selfless people that I had encountered, and that was one of the things that made her so beautiful to me. Of course, she didn't understand why I found her beautiful at all, a constant topic that we tended to argue over every now and then.

"Really? That's great, maybe then she'll stop bugging me about you," Bella smiled, looking up at me. I grinned back at her, reaching up to push a few strands of hair away from her eyes. It was times like these that I couldn't imagine being anywhere else, not looking into the depths of Bella's chocolate brown eyes, holding her warmth in my arms.

"Bella, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said without any hesitation. I took in a deep breath, steadying myself and preparing to voice the thoughts that had been bouncing around in my head now for quite some time.

"I know this is really far into the future and everything, but," I locked eyes with her, "would you consider moving in with me for college, Bella?"

Her eyes widened a little, making her face look more innocent and young. "You don't have to answer right now, obviously. We're not even seniors yet. And it all depends on what you want to do for college and all that..." I began to ramble, trying not to pressure her into anything she didn't want to do. I started to feel a little forward and foolish, placing my hopes out on the line like this.

"Edward, I would like that very much," Bella responded seriously, hushing my words. I could feel my whole face transform into a look of surprise.

"You would?"

"Yes. In fact, I was thinking about asking you the same thing," she said earnestly, the corners of her small mouth turning up. "I know that I haven't decided what I want to do yet, but I know that I wherever I end up, I want to be with you."

I beamed at her then, a small lump forming in my throat and a rush of emotion washing over my body. Bella wanted to live with me! I could no longer wait for the next school year to begin, as strange as that sounds. I loved her so much, all I wanted to do was to make her as happy as I could. It was the least I could do to repay her for all the happiness she had given me.

"You're amazing, you know that?" I told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"So you tell me," she rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to have a big ego, Edward?" she teased.

"Nah, I think my ego is big enough for the both of us," I joked back, and she smacked me gently on the chest. I captured her hand back in mine, pulling it over my heart.

"I love you, Bella," I murmured, watching as the light hit the bracelet that rested rightfully on her wrist. "So much."

"I love you, too, Edward," she replied, her voice growing quiet and intense. We continued to sit there, wrapped up in each other. No matter how much we joked and played around, what it always came down to was the fact that Bella and I had each other, utterly and completely.

* * *

"Emmett, stop messing around. I want this to be a nice picture," my mother sighed, trying to organize Emmett and Rosalie into a nice pose in the living room. It was now prom, and the time seemed to pass so quickly that I never knew what to do with myself. I stood watching with Jasper as my mother fawned over the two of them, making Rosalie wrap her arms around Emmett. Alice had been here earlier, so she could do her pictures with Jasper. She was currently at Bella's helping her get ready for the evening.

Of course, Bella and I weren't actually going to the prom. Instead, I was going to spend the night with her in the way that we were both familiar with: just the two of us enjoying each other's company. I didn't need to go to some fancy, cliched dance to have fun with Bella. Together, Alice and I had planned a special night for Bella, and I couldn't wait for it to begin. I hoped that Bella would enjoy herself with what I had ready for her.

Here I was though, wearing a tuxedo under Alice's direction. Jasper messed with his bowtie next to me, leaning against the wall as my mother flashed picture after picture.

"God, I swear if I wasn't dating Alice..." he grumbled. "I hate getting dressed up."

"Well, maybe if you weren't so whipped," I began, and then dodged his fist as it came towards my arm quickly.

"Oh, like you're not like that when it comes to Bella? You know that you'd do anything she'd ask you to in a heartbeat," he countered, and I only shrugged at him. Emmett came bounding over, his hand intertwined in Rosalie's.

"Ready to go over to Bella's?" he asked. His black tux was solid against the dark purple of Rosalie's silk floor-length gown. Her hair was tucked up into a pile upon her head, and a shimmering silver necklace that Emmett had presented her with moments before rested around her neck. She pursed her lips as she looked up at Emmett, sparkling in the dim light of our home.

My mother called out to us as she made her way back to the kitchen. "Don't forget to take pictures when you're over there, I want to see you and Bella together, Edward!"

"Yeah, we should get going, the dance will start soon," I replied, and within a few minutes we were all piled into Emmett's Jeep, speeding down the street.

We passed Chief Swan as he pulled out of the driveway of his home. He gave Emmett and I a look that was a combination of suspicion and warning. Emmett simply grinned back, and I rolled my eyes as we pulled up to the curb.

The front door to the home was open, and we stepped through the entrance tentatively at the insistence of Alice.

"Just wait right there, you guys. We're almost done," Alice called from upstairs. We made ourselves comfortable in the living room, listening to the sounds of the tv as some kind of reality show played out on screen. Jasper plopped down in the recliner, leaning back and running his hands through his shaggy blond hair. I stayed standing as Emmett and Rosalie sat down on the couch. We could hear the sound of Alice's heels tapping as she raced back and forth across the hardwood floors upstairs.

"Okay, get ready for this," Alice's voice echoed down the stairs. She made her way down the stairs carefully. Jasper shot up to meet her at the bottom of the staircase, holding out his hand for her. She was wearing a short, strapless, vibrant green dress that matched the gems that dangled from her small ears. Her normally crazy spiked hair was slicked back, and I could see that Jasper could not remove his eyes from her figure as she took her place next to him.

"Alright, Bella! Come on down!" Alice announced, a big grin lighting up her whole face. I anxiously looked to the top of landing, searching for any sign of Bella.

It was a few seconds before Bella moved shyly into view, and when the light finally hit her I swear that everything going on around me stopped. She was draped in a royal blue, knee-length dress that hugged all of her curves in the right way. The bodice of the dress sparkled and was slightly low-cut, showing only a peek of her modest cleavage. The thin straps of the dress sat on the creamy skin of her shoulders. Her dark brown locks fell to her shoulders, extra shiny and smooth. My eyes moved hungrily downward, scanning her smooth legs with matching blue heels that wrapped delicately around her feet. For that moment I forgot where I was and who I was with; it was only me and Bella.

She moved shakily down the stairs, careful not to fall. I moved to meet her, giving her my hand. "You look beautiful," I told her, taking in her gorgeous face. I could tell that Alice had done an amazing job with the smallest amount of makeup possible. A gentle blush covered her cheeks, and her eyes seemed even brighter and more sultry. The corner of her mouth went up in a small smile. "You don't look too bad yourself," she replied, squeezing my hand.

"Okay, enough eye-sexin' for now you two," Emmett teased, holding up a camera. "Mom will have your head if you don't get any pictures."

"I'll take them," Alice said, snatching the camera from his hands. "Everyone stand over there," she ordered, working into a frenzy just like our mother had earlier. "Emmett, please, will you just stop, already?"

"You look very pretty, Bella," Rosalie complimented as she and Emmett stood next to us. Bella smiled back and leaned into me as I gripped her waist. Jasper came up to stand with us, and Alice rushed over as she set the timer on the camera and placed it on the table. We spent a few minutes taking pictures, posing in different arrangements so my mother would be happy. Finally, it was time for the others to head over to the school, and everyone left wishing Bella and I a good evening. As the door shut behind them, the room became very quiet, and Bella and I were left standing there, staring at each other.

"I'm glad you survived Alice's onslaught," I smiled, taking her hand and leading her further into the living room.

"She was pretty brutal," she admitted. I traced my fingers down her arms, marveling at the feel of her skin. I couldn't seem to help any of my reactions tonight; I hoped that Bella wouldn't think that I was being rude.

"I'm sorry for that," I said. "But now that it's over, are you ready for your evening to begin, Miss Swan?"

"Of course, Mister Cullen," she joked back, beaming up at me.

* * *

**BPOV:**

I couldn't take my eyes off of Edward. He was so handsome in his sharp tux, I felt like I couldn't get enough of seeing him. I wondered how we going to spend the evening, since we were confined to the house.

Edward led me over to the couch and sat me down gently so that I wouldn't ruin my dress. "I'll be right back," he promised, and turned to go out down the hall. He returned a few minutes later with a large paper bag, but when I tried to stand to see what he was doing, he barked at me to stop and stay in the living room. I remained on the couch, very curious at what he was up to. I waited for a few more minutes until he finally emerged back into the living room. He smiled at me, looking a little bit frazzled, and took my hand to lead me to the kitchen.

I gasped as we stepped through the entryway into the kitchen. The room was dim, and Edward had placed and lit candles all around the room, causing shadows to flicker across the walls. On the table were two plates loaded with food that looked like it had come from one of my favorite take-out places. Edward walked over to pull out my chair for me, and as I sat he brushed his large hands over my bare shoulders. I shivered slightly.

"Edward, what is all this?" I asked in awe. He joined me at the table and scooted his chair closer.

"Dinner, silly," he smiled. "I wanted tonight to be special."

"Oh, Edward. You didn't have to do all this for me."

"You deserve it, Bella." He gestured for me to go on and start eating, and we sat with our hands entwined over the surface of the table. Of course, he had picked up my favorite mushroom ravioli and served me sparkling cider in a delicate champagne flute. He was the perfect gentleman, asking me whether I had enough to eat and drink, always making sure that I didn't have to get up for anything.

When it came to dessert, he had set up a large brownie sundae for the two of us to share. As I reached for a spoon, however, his warm hand stopped me, and instead he loaded his spoon and held it to my mouth, looking up at me through his lashes. I opened my mouth, gazing back at him intently as he slid the spoon gently onto my lip. I could feel the hot and cold mixture of the brownie and ice cream melt in my mouth, and I closed my lips around the spoon, pouting my lips at him. Edward's eyes never left my face, his mouth slightly parted and his gaze clouding over. We never said a word; instead, he fed me each bite slowly, the intensity of his stare making me feel hot in the enclosed space of the kitchen. When I had had enough, he stood and helped me up, and, still without a word, led me back into the living room.

Edward walked over to the entertainment display where the tv sat. He looked through all the equipment, messing with Charlie's rarely used stereo system. Finally, he switched on the stereo to a soothing jazz station. He turned towards me with a crooked smirk. My eyes grew wide as I realized what he wanted to do.

"Oh no, I can't dance," I shook my head as he came over. He shrugged.

"I can teach you," he assured, stepping closer. I looked back at him, uneasy.

"Don't worry, Bella. It's just you and me, that's all," he said as he reached out to hold me. I felt a little better then, realizing that this was probably better than being out in public where other people could see me fail at dancing. I stepped into his strong arms, relaxing instantly at his touch.

We began to sway to the sound of the music; Edward led the two of us around the room, slowing revolving in a small circle. I was cuddled up into his chest, my head tucked neatly under his chin. We seemed to fit perfectly, our bodies almost made for each other.

"Bella," he murmured, his breath tickling my skin. I felt his lips skim the line of my shoulder. I fell into him even more, my knees growing weak as he pressed wet kisses to my skin. We moved slower to the music, finally coming to a stop in front of the couch. He kissed his way up to my jaw, then to my cheek, and then finally touched his lips to mine.

My hands went up into his wild hair, pulling him closer to me. As we kissed deeper and deeper, we grew more frantic, clinging to each other desperately. Edward's arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me up slightly and pushing me back towards the couch. I barely noticed that he had moved us until I realized that he was on top of me, both of us laying on the couch. The feel of his weight all around me was intoxicating; it felt like the only thing that existed was him. His tongue pressed against mine as I parted my lips, and I moaned, tasting as much of him as I could.

One of his hands trailed down to my waist, pressing softly against my side. His hand moved to the back of my dress, and I looked up at him the same time he looked down at me, seeming to ask for permission. I only gave him a small nod, biting my lip as his fingers reached up to grasp the zipper. My heart beat wildly, feeling like it was the only sound in the room besides our heavy breathing. Edward's fingers finally pulled the zipper to its end, and he reached to push the straps off of my shoulders.

Suddenly, a beam of light flickered across the dark room, accompanied by the sound of a loud car engine. The warmth and the haze that I was drowning in quickly faded out.

"Crap, Charlie!" I said, and Edward and I were upright and distanced from each other within an instant. We were both trying to calm our breathing, and I reached back awkwardly to zip up my dress. Edward stood and did a quick jog around the room, blowing out all the candles and running into the kitchen to do the same thing. I could hear Charlie make his way up the gravel pathway, and I quickly turned on the tv as Edward came back in and shut off the music. We both looked at each other once before the doorknob turned and the front door was unlocked.

"Bella?" Charlie called, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

"In here," I replied, my voice breathless. "Edward's here, too." I'd figured that I'd warn him.

"Edward?" Charlie walked in, clearly surprised at the sight of us. His eyes scanned the two of us, trying to look for any signs of...well, anything, really. We sat with innocent looks on their faces.

"How was the patrol?" I asked politely.

"It was fine, nothing unusual. The school was packed, though," he said, shifting his gaze over to Edward. "Not spending the evening with your friends, huh?"

"No, sir," Edward said with a smile. "I wanted to spend prom with Bella this year."

"Hmmph." Charlie's brow furrowed. His brown eyes flashed to me. "Have fun, Bells?"

"Yes, Edward was a perfect gentleman," I replied, the corner of my mouth going up.

"Well, then, it's getting pretty late," Charlie huffed, clearly unhappy that he couldn't find anything wrong with what we were doing. "Time to say goodnight."

"Of course, Chief Swan. Goodnight," Edward stood and held out a hand to help me up. I stood and led him to the front door, feeling Charlie's gaze burning my back.

I propped open the door and leaned against it, feeling the cool air caress my skin. Edward walked out onto the porch and turned to face me, smiling the whole time. He leaned in to press a lingering kiss to my cheek.

"Goodnight, Bella," he told me quietly, his eyes flickering over my shoulder to my father. I shrugged my shoulders apologetically and smiled back at him.

"Goodnight," I shut the door slowly, wishing he could stay later. I turned to head upstairs, passing Charlie. I beamed at him on the way, only drawing a pitifully confused look on his face. I laughed then, feeling like a normal girl who did normal things like sneaking around with her boyfriend. I had a date for prom, complete with the perfect dance and the almost-feel-up from said date.

I landed on my bed with a bounce, laying on my back to stare at the ceiling. I ran through the evening in my head; every laugh, every kiss, every searing touch floating through my mind. I couldn't help but think that my life had become everything I had ever wanted and more. I was so unbelievably happy; it felt like I was complete. But most important of all, I felt like I was loved.

* * *

**A/N: So? What did you think? Bella and Edward are just too cute together, this was really fun for me to write. Even in my pain-med-induced haze. :)**


	14. Epilouge

**So sorry for the long wait!!! RL has started picking up, so I guess it's pretty good timing that this story is at its end.**

**Thank you so much for all your support and reviews. They mean the world to me, and they really do help me improve my writing. **

**So here is the short but sweet epilouge of I'll Be the Light! I hope you enjoy it!**

**~MissSingItAll**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all that Twilight stuff.**

* * *

**BPOV:**

"Hello? Yes, Mom. Yes, I know," Edward said into his cell phone, cradling it with his shoulder as he picked up a box full of shoes and moved it down the hall. I watched him from my perch on a small chair next to the counter, playing with the ends of my sleeves.

We were in our modest apartment in Seattle. That's right: _our _apartment. Edward and I had just started our freshman year of college at the University of Washington. We had moved into this cozy little space a few weeks ago, but things were still very messy. After Dr. Cullen had talked to the Dean of Admissions and pulled some strings, I ended up taking my classes online. So far I had set my heart on writing as a career, taking courses in many different genres of literature. Edward was still thinking about becoming a doctor, but he was taking many classes so he could try the alternatives.

Living with Edward was a dream come true; we fell right into a comfortable routine of studying and hanging out with friends by day and staying wrapped up in each other by night. Of course, getting here wasn't easy. It was similar to when I had moved out to Forks. It was a blur of tears and screaming as Edward tried to help coax me into the car. But it wasn't as bad as it could have been, though, since Edward was actually there to hold me and make sure that I was alright. I could never make myself regret the decision to move here, no matter how much of a strain it was to go out.

Emmett came by to visit often, since he lived on campus not too far away. He loved college life, but he also missed his family terribly. Most of all, he missed Rosalie, who had decided to go to California for college instead. She was studying child psychology, something that surprised us all, really. We came to learn that Rosalie adored children, and I figured that someday she would make an amazing mother. We always knew when Rosalie was in town; Emmett would disappear unexpectedly for a few days, and then he would randomly show up again, a sparkle in his eyes and a few hickeys on his thick neck.

Jasper and Alice were completely inseparable, choosing to attend Seattle University together. Alice was tentatively looking at fashion design, while Jasper was still undecided, choosing instead to just take things as they came. We saw Alice and Jasper at least once a week, most of the time staying in to have a movie night.

Although our whole group mostly did activities that involved us staying inside for my sake, I was working on moving past my panic and anxiety. I began to see a therapist under the advice of Dr. Cullen. Her name was Maggie (she insisted on being on a first-name basis), and she gave me lots of helpful tips and advice to get me to be more comfortable outside. She praised Edward and his method of gradually coaxing me outside, and she sometimes spoke to him to give him advice on how to deal with me in that regard. Overall, she was a really positive force in my life, and I figured that with her help and the help of my family and friends I would one day be able to go out in public places without fear.

"Yes, Mom, we'll be able to see you soon," Edward said, still on the phone, coming back to sit on the kitchen counter beside me. "Alright...I love you, too...bye." He hung up, setting his phone on the table. He smiled crookedly at me.

"How are things in Forks?" I asked him, scooting my chair closer to him.

"Pretty good. My dad actually won some big award from a doctor's association. They're presenting it to him at a banquet not too far from here. So my parents are planning on coming up and seeing us while they're here," he replied. He took a look around the small space, which was still halfway buried with boxes and items that we had taken from home.

"We'll definitely need to clean all this up soon, though. My mother might have a heart attack if she saw this."

"True," I grinned, "but I'm pretty sure that we would have cleaned this all up weeks ago if _someone _hadn't distracted me."

A coy smile lit up his face. "Whatever do you mean, Miss Swan?"

"Well, Mister Cullen, I seem to recall a certain person saying that we should 'break in the apartment' before we actually got any work done," I said casually, looking up at him from under my lashes.

"Ah, what a lovely first week that was," Edward said almost dreamily, looking up to the ceiling. I rolled my eyes at him, shaking my head.

"Alright, Lover Boy, let's clean this place up," I ordered, jumping off of my seat. Edward sighed and followed me into the living room, where we spent the rest of the time unpacking the rest of our things.

* * *

The air was chilly and moist as the sun set further behind the clouds. The sounds of the city below floated up to Alice and I as we sat out on the balcony of the apartment, wrapped in thick blankets and sipping hot apple cider. Jasper and Edward were inside, trying to cook for us. Judging by the fact that the apartment hadn't burst into flames yet, I'd say that they were doing fine. I was incredibly proud of myself; I was handling the space and the openness of the balcony without any trouble.

"So Bella, what do you want to do for your birthday this year?" Alice asked, leaning back into her chair. I glanced at her, surprised. With everything that had been going on, I had forgotten that my birthday was this month, next week, actually.

"I don't know," I said thoughtfully, playing with my cup of cider. "I really don't like parties."

"Well, how about something simple with all of us? Please, Bella?" Alice implored, looking at me with doe eyes and a tiny pout. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Fine, but nothing too big, okay? And please, you guys really don't have to get me gifts or anything."

Alice's eyes twinkled with mischief. "I'm not sure I can promise that, Bella."

"Promise what?" Edward stepped out onto the balcony just as I was about to protest. Alice sat up straight and gave Edward a look that was all business.

"You and I will talk later," she said, giving him a pointed look. His brow furrowed in confusion, and Alice simply giggled and stood to go back inside. Edward shook his head as Alice slipped inside, and he took her spot in the chair across from me.

"I hope the kitchen is still intact," I joked. He scoffed at me, giving me a mock-glare.

"I happen to think Jasper and I are fine cooks and are capable of making a decent meal, thank you very much," he replied, trying to sound offended. I grinned at him, standing up and wrapping the blanket into a small bundle. He stood to join me, placing himself so close that all I had to do was stand on my toes to press his lips to mine.

"And as I recall, you seem to like my cooking," he murmured, one of his hands reaching to caress my arm. My thoughts jumped back to that picnic on the porch that seemed so long ago, my heart warming with the memory. I leaned into him, pressing my face into his chest. His arms wrapped around me and squeezed, his scent filling my senses.

"I do," I breathed, feeling his chest rise and fall as he sighed contentedly.

"Good, because I plan on cooking for you and caring for you and doing anything for you for a long time," he said, and I suddenly felt my eyes tear up. What did I ever do to deserve him?

"Hey, are you two coming? Alice and I can't eat everything, you know," Jasper called from inside.

We both smiled and made our way inside, his hand firmly grasped around mine.

* * *

**EPOV:**

My life is amazing. Truly, it is. I'm living with the most wonderful woman in the world and I'm starting the very beginning of a new and exciting college experience, and I'm able to do all of this with the support of my family and friends. But more significantly, Bella has changed my life permanently. I can't even fathom a future without her.

Today was her birthday, and I knew that she didn't like the attention. So I tried as best I could to respect her wishes and not turn this day into a big deal. Still, a large part of me wanted to celebrate her and make her know that she was loved. Alice was helping me in that department; we had put together a small gathering involving all of us. Even Rosalie had come up for the occasion, for she had grown to love Bella as a friend, too.

It was a little difficult trying to arrange a kind of surprise since Bella couldn't actually leave the apartment. We decided that everyone would knock on the door instead, bringing everything with them.

Bella was currently putting dishes away in the kitchen, humming lightly to herself. She had a small grin on her face, and I looked away from her to quickly check my watch. _Any minute now..._

"What's up with you today, Edward?" Bella teased from her spot by the dishwasher. "You've been acting like a restless child all day."

"Don't you know? I'm a child at heart," I winked, and as she laughed there were finally loud knocks on the door. Bella looked at me questioningly, and I only shrugged at her. She walked to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open.

"SURPRISE!" I swear, Bella must have jumped five feet in the air as the small group of four yelled at her in greeting. Bella placed a hand over her heart and grasped the edge of the door, breathing heavily.

"What are you doing here?" she gasped out. I walked over to stand next to her.

"It's your birthday, silly! Did you honestly think that we were just going to leave you alone?" Alice said, holding a few gift bags in her tiny arms. Jasper stood next to her holding a large boxed cake. Emmett and Rosalie were also in the doorway, holding hands.

"Are you gonna let us in, or are you just gonna stand there gaping," Rosalie asked with a joking tone. Bella blinked and suddenly rushed to Rosalie, embracing her.

"Rose! I can't believe you're here," Bella said, and I gestured for everyone to come in. We all settled into the living room, the girls catching up with Rosalie and the guys all standing by the counter, chatting.

Eventually, Alice shifted into hostess-mode, and whenever that happened we all stayed out of her way. She opened the box that contained the cake and, with Jasper's help, set it down on our small coffee table. She pulled out a couple of candles and a lighter from her purse, and placed them around the cake. Lighting each one, she ordered everyone to stand and sing. Emmett stood in the front of the group, acting hilariously as a conductor.

Bella blushed as we all got through a rather off-key round of the birthday song, and I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist as she got ready to blow out the candles. I nipped at her neck at she blew, and she shivered and leaned back into me as everyone cheered around us. Alice and Rosalie walked into the kitchen to grab plates, and Jasper and Emmett worked on cutting the cake into small squares. I grabbed Bella's hand and tugged, pulling her out to the balcony with me. I wanted to give her my gift before everyone else.

"Now, I know you said no presents, but I really wanted to give you this," I pulled her to one of the patio chairs and sat her down. Bella looked at me confused as I sat in the chair next to her. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small velvet box and set it carefully in front of her. Her eyes grew wide and darted back and forth between me and the box.

"Go ahead, open it," I said softly, smiling gently. She took a deep breath and reached for the box timidly, her hand shaking as she did so. She finally popped it open and gasped.

"Edward..." she trailed off as she pulled out the simple silver band, engraved with a swirling pattern that wrapped all the way around. She held it delicately, tracing the design. She looked up at me then, awe in her eyes.

"I know we're young, but I feel so strongly about this. About us. That isn't an engagement ring, no, but it is a promise ring. My promise to you, Bella. I promise, I swear that I will always love you and care for you, no matter what. You are the most important person in my life. I can't even imagine living without you. And I hope that maybe someday, you'll allow me your hand in marriage. But for now, will you accept this ring, accept my promise that I will be completely devoted to you?"

I watched as Bella's eyes filled with tears, and her hand clasped firmly around the ring. "Yes," she finally whispered, nodding at me. "Yes, of course, Edward. Thank you."

I smiled and reached across to grab her hands so I could slide the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. My hand rose to cup Bella's cheek, and my thumb wiped away the moisture from the tears that had slipped down.

"I love you, Edward."

"And I love you, Bella. Happy Birthday."

* * *

That night, as Bella lay asleep in my arms, I noticed that something was sitting on the small table beside the bed. I reached to grab it without disturbing Bella. It was my old journal, the one that I had given her for Christmas so long ago. I searched through the pages with one hand, looking at all of the lyrics I had written, the pages a little worn but still legible. I came across one line, stretched out at the bottom of a page:

_I'll be the light._

I remembered the mindset I was in when I had written this line. I had vowed to help Bella, to protect her, to be the source of light when all she could find was darkness. I hoped that that was what I was now, for she was definitely my light. Bella made everything brighter, and everything seemed clear and crisp whenever she smiled, or laughed, or whispered my name in the dim light of our bedroom.

Bella was my light, and as I traced the silver promise ring that adorned her ring finger, I knew that she would always be there to brighten my way.

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**A/N: The song lyric is from "The One" by the Backstreet Boys. Yes, folks, the title of this story comes from a Backstreet Boys song. Don't judge me. :)**

**So there you have it, the end! How was it? Let me know in a review, and once again, thank you so much for reading this story. I promise I definitely have more stories up my sleeve, so be on the lookout for those. Love you all!**


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